A Holiday to Remember
by Fenix Uzumaki
Summary: [Sequel to TBWIOF/rewrite of ACBC]. It is now five years after the epilogue of TBWIOF, and Beary and Jewel are now sixteen, at a complicated stage in life. The winter holidays have come, and with snow come some interesting situations. Come join The Country Bears and their families on this warm, heartfelt family story where they learn the true meaning of the holidays and family love
1. Part One - Five Years Later

**It's finally here! The sequel to "The Book Which Is Our First"! Rejoice and be glad, as my holiday story finally kicks off.**

 **Now, the scheduling for this is I'll post the first chapter today [as it's December 1st], and the rest of the chapters will be posted on Sundays, and perhaps, around Christmas, I may do a "12 Days of Uploads" again like last year. We'll see!**

 **Now keep in mind that nothing from this AU series affects the main storyline, and vice versa. These are new personalities, backstories, and "different-but-the-same" characters. This is my happy-go-lucky-with-a-bit-of-evil story series that I'm excited to write. And who knows? There may be a sequel to this one. Maybe two. ;)**

 **So sit back and enjoy reading "A Holiday to Remember".**

* * *

 **Part One – Five Years Later**

Many seasons passed on the grounds of _Country Bear Hall_ in Pendleton, Tennessee. Many things have changed since the fire six years prior, and most for the better.

The new music hall was bigger than before, able to hold more concert goers, with a larger kitchen, eight-stall bathrooms for both genders, and a game room attached to the practice room. All the new additions were on the same side of the building, while Henry's office had been rebuilt and was on the opposite side. On the same side as the office was another exit in the shape of wooden barn doors.

Henry and Helen, towards the middle of the construction of the new music hall, were able to move into their new home more towards the forest and wolf sanctuary that Helen loved so much. New flowers had been planted in a lovely garden, and she kept herself busy in the spring, summer, and early fall in a large vegetable garden. The home was one and a half stories, with the upstairs only covering half of the downstairs. The upstairs had one large bathroom with both a shower stall and a tub, and two large bedrooms – one of which was Beary's. Downstairs had a full dining room, comfortable living room, an accessible kitchen with plenty of counter space, and three more bedrooms, including a modest master bedroom.

Two bedrooms were towards the front of the house, jutting out like a magnet head with the front porch between them. The one on the east side was next to the living room, and the one on the west was on the same side of the house as the master bedroom and downstairs bathroom, which also had a tub.

The band, too, had changed. Henry was still the manager and owner of _Taylor Enterprises_ , and went with the band while Helen worked at the office when she was feeling up to it/was having a good day.

Zeb and Méngméng had completely reaffirmed their relationship, and were very happy together, raising their three cubs Fēnglì, Sawyer, and Nolan, with more [a litter] on the way.

Fred was able to visit his cubs whenever he wanted, but he and his ex-wife had not been able to repair their relationship like Zeb and Méngméng had. Fred was currently dating a brown bear named Tyrion, who was currently in France.

Ted and Jade's relationship had fizzled out after five years, even though they had a two-year-old black with brown faced, green eyed son named Aiden. While having been engaged for a ridiculous four years, with Ted beating around the bush about setting a date, they had broken up due to simple stupidity. While Ted had been on their current tour, within the first few weeks, a fan had singled him out and started kissing him. It had turned out that she'd been paid to do so and she had wanted her fifteen minutes of fame, which she had gotten as the picture circled the internet and tabloids. Jade had seen the image, decided that he'd been enjoying himself way too much, and had broken up with him after a phone call the next day, telling him not to expect to see her at anymore of his concerts and possibly not even for Christmas. Ted had been left heartbroken and upset, but hadn't let that stop the tour – which only cemented Jade's belief that he'd fallen out of love with her and was just a player.

Trixie and Tennessee had been happily married for the past five years, and had two more children with another on the way. Zak was an energetic five-year-old, while his younger brother, Riley, was three and rather shy. While their parents were on tour, Jewel would take care of them while living at the new Taylor home in the large bedroom opposite Beary on the second floor. She got the big bedroom because she lived with the Taylors fulltime while the band was away, and Méngméng would occasionally stay with the Taylors, but stay in one of the lower bedrooms with her three cubs.

Even Allison and Norbert Barrington, living in the small town of Pendleton, were doing well with their family. Three years prior, they were able to watch their oldest child, Dex, walk across the stage to get his high school diploma. Kristina, their youngest child and only daughter, was now almost six-years-old.

Dex and Roxi Matthews [Roadie's daughter] had been dating for the past five years, and had continued their relationship while at the University of Tennessee. The current gossip was that things were getting fairly serious as they had been living together for two years.

There had even been changes in the Taylor family as well. Three years prior, fifty-three-year-old Helen had found herself feeling very ill for several days in a row, but did not have a fever. Just a few days before her illness started, Henry and the band had gone on an international tour. After having Méngméng take her to the hospital, Helen learned that she was pregnant.

Little Lyra Hymn Taylor was born on April 1st, 2005. Henry, who had been unreachable throughout most of the pregnancy due to being overseas with the band, had thought that Helen had been simply joking with him about being pregnant, and had laughed when she told him on April Fool's Day that she'd given birth, thinking it was all an elaborate prank. It wasn't until the band had gotten home in late May that Henry discovered that Helen had not been mistaken and was indeed telling the truth.

Henry, of course, had felt awful about not being there for her, but was grateful to Beary, Allison, and Norbert, who had taken care of his wife during the pregnancy.

Beary had teased his father endlessly, calling him a non-believer and walking around saying "shun the non-believer, shun!" He'd even gotten Jewel and a few others to go along with it.

Sadly, while Lyra was born healthy, she was also born blind. Her bedroom was in the front room on the west side, across the foyer from Henry and Helen's room, and despite the fact that she was now three, they still used a baby monitor to make sure she was all right, and had to make sure that she stayed in her room in the morning instead of getting into things. Thankfully, they had been able to get her a seeing-eyed dog, and while she was not used to him, he looked out for her and stayed in her room at night.

While Beary did indeed love and dote on his little sister, he was also jealous of the attention she got. Everyone else focused on her, and sometimes, on a few occasions, they forgot about him. On one of their tours, they had brought back souvenirs for everyone, but while they had gotten gifts for Lyra, they had somehow forgotten about him. Of course, being the way he was, he didn't bring it up, and waited for them to figure it out towards the end of the gift giving when they would all notice that out of everyone, only he had received nothing.

Beary didn't mind too much, though, as he was just happy to have a big family filled with so many that liked him, though at times he felt more alone than ever. He couldn't figure out his feelings and emotions very well at all.

Five years was a lot of time, and as time goes on, cubs grow older...

 _Fire surrounded him, but he couldn't move. A scream was left in his throat as he couldn't open his mouth to release it. Hot flames leapt at his skin, biting at his fur and melting it._

 _He could hear a voice, calling to him. It was hers, Jewel's. What was she doing here? She wasn't in the fire!_

 _He looked around, letting out a gasp when he found her tied to a post, surrounded by the fire as well. However, that wasn't the only danger to her. Reed Thimple stood in front of her with a gun._

 _Beary struggled, trying to get up. To fight whatever held him down and to get to her, but no matter what he tried, he failed._

" _He can't protect you, girly. You belong to me, and I'm going to make sure you get what you deserve this time." Reed raised the gun and pulled the trigger._

An audible bang woke sixteen-year-old Beary Taylor from his nightmare with a silent scream. Heart pounding, he turned on the light on the nightstand. He lifted his head and jumped back in fright when he saw himself in the mirror that was hung on the back of his door, across from his bed. Once his initial fright was over, he studied himself in it as he climbed off the bed. He was taller than he had been, towering at six feet in height and still growing, and had grown out his hair a bit. During the day, he held his hair back in two low ponytails, but since it was night, he let his shoulder-length hair flow free.

Glancing around for the source of the noise, he found his beautiful brown-black Bengal cat, Tabitha, standing next to the fish tank on his dresser, and his bamboo plant on the floor. "Tabs," he grumbled, shaking his head. "You're lucky I switched to a plastic container, considering how many times you climb up there to look at my fish." He picked up the plant and put it on the other side of the dresser, and then ventured into the hallway and to the bathroom to relieve himself, happy that this time the nightmare didn't cause him to accidentally wet the bed, which it had twice before a few years ago. It was something he refused to tell his parents about. Not even Jewel knew, though she knew of his nightmares.

Upon finishing, he flushed and washed his paws, before moving over to Jewel's door, quietly opening it, letting the light from the hallway flow over her bed. He knew he had to be quiet, as her younger brothers were in the room with her.

He could see the rise and fall of her chest as she slept, and he smiled as he leaned against the doorway. She was alive. It had been just a nightmare yet again.

Part of him wanted to walk over to her and climb into bed beside her, pulling her close to his body as he gently kissed her neck. Feel her purr loudly as he held her.

' _Whoa, what the heck? What brought on that idea? She's just my friend! Why would I kiss her? She doesn't like me like that! It'll just make things awkward between us! Stop thinking like that, Beary!_ ' he told himself, backing away from the door and closing it once more.

He didn't want to go back to bed; he'd not be able to sleep anyway. Quietly, he crept down the stairs and looked around the foyer of his home, making sure he hadn't woken anyone else up. Thankfully the house was silent.

He ventured out onto the back deck, sighing softly as he curled up on the large bed-like chair and looked up at the sky. A cool breeze blew through, reminding Beary that it was December 22nd, 2008. He wished he had brought a blanket as he shivered.

"Beary?"

He blinked and glanced back. "Oh... I thought you were sleeping."

Jewel smiled fondly at her friend as she shut the glass door behind her. She had a large blanket draped around her, and immediately went over to him, sitting down and snuggling up against him, not afraid of boundaries or personal space. In her eyes, they were best friends and, if she could only get him to realize it, lovers. She knew she loved him. Always had. And that love had grown from familiar to romantic. Only problem was, she wasn't sure if he felt the same way about her. A purr left her throat as she felt him wrap an arm around her and pull the blanket over them both.

"You're purring?" He rested his head against hers, and found himself wishing he could just kiss her, but he held back, afraid of her reaction.

"I'm happy," she responded, listening to his heartbeat. "Did you sleep with your hearing aid on again?"

He reached up and fingered the device. "Yeah, I kinda forgot to take it out before bed."

"I was wondering why you could hear me so well." She laughed and burrowed her head under his chin. "I don't mind, actually. It's nice to be able to talk to you under the stars."

He looked up at the stars she spoke of and smiled. "They are beautiful tonight. Nothing compared to..." He froze, realizing what he was about to say, and backed down.

"Are you going to finish that sentence?" she asked, finding herself wishing he'd say her name. To her disappointment, he fell silent. Deciding that she didn't mind, she closed her eyes and simply purred. "I'll keep you safe from your nightmares, Beary... Go back to sleep, okay?"

He nodded and closed his eyes as well. He must have fallen into a blissful sleep, for the next thing he knew, his mother was shaking him awake.

"Beary. Jewel. Wake up. No sleepy outside!" Helen laughed a little as she looked at her son and his friend. She was dressed in a robe, and her long hair flowed around her.

Beary blinked slowly, glancing around in confusion. Why was he outside? Jewel? Why was she curled up beside him? He was holding her close to his body and didn't want to wake her up. Gently, he brushed the hair out of her face and glanced up at his mother, feeling embarrassed. "Oh, um... Hi, Mama," he murmured.

"Is you date?" Helen questioned, looking out at the lawn and the trees, smiling when she heard a wolf howl.

"Date? No! We're not dating!" He pulled away from his friend, startled.

Jewel woke with a start and almost fell off the giant cushion. "Dating?" she groaned, shaking her head in confusion. "We're not dating, Helen. No... I heard Beary go outside late last night, and I went to see what was up, and I guess we fell asleep."

"Oh." Helen frowned, studying them for a moment before looking out at her daughter's husky as he searched for a place to squat. She leaned onto one side before realizing that she'd forgotten her cane inside and fell off the porch with a startled cry.

Beary shot off the chair in an instant. "Mama!" He hurried to be by her side and whimpered, checking on her. "Are you all right?"

"Am fine, Beary. Not far. Mama okay," she reassured, sitting up.

"You know better than to walk around without your cane, Mama," he scolded softly. "Your sense of balance is terrible." He helped her up and up the step to the porch, and over to a chair. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Helen smiled and kissed his forehead. "Yes."

The teenager nodded and led her back inside to sit down and rest. He then started upstairs to prepare for the day. He was planning on going into town and taking Lyra with him to pick out a Christmas gift for their parents. Jewel and her siblings, along with the Seillean [Zoober] cubs were joining them all, squeezing into the cars belonging to the teenagers.

Picking out an outfit was simple enough; a gray hoodie and a pair of jeans. Standing in front of his mirror, he lifted his hairbands and brush off the hooks on the door and brushed his shoulder-length hair into two low ponytails, and then clipped bangles over them. He then picked up the ear clamp bands he had and put two on each ear. The only reason he wore such things was to draw people's attention away from the horrid scar on his ear and the hearing aid. To top it off, he added a long-bead necklace of fairly neutral colors. "Perfect." He turned his upper body a few times to examine himself and grinned. Maybe Jewel would say something!

He pulled open his door in time to find Jewel letting her younger brothers, five-year-old Zak and three-year-old Riley, out of the room fully dressed for the day in pants and sweaters. Both hurried down the stairs to go play with Sawyer, Nolan, and Lyra in Lyra's playroom [which was also her bedroom].

Jewel then stood up and smiled at Beary. "You look very nice today. Comfy?"

He gave a small nod in response as he looked her over. Jewel wore loose jeans, a red with black hem v-neck sweater, and a fashionable red tartan scarf. Her ears, actually pierced, had looped earrings of silver and black, and her slightly-past-her-shoulder hair was separated into six different long-bead ties, and she wore one small braid on the left side in front of her ear. "You look... amazing," he murmured, stunned by her beauty.

As the two had aged, they had lost their baby fat as they grew into their adult bodies. With their active lifestyle, both were in excellent shape. Jewel was four inches shorter than he was as well. Such a perfect height difference, in his opinion.

She smiled and hooked an invisible strand of hair behind her ear. "Thank you. So, what kind of present does Lyra want to get?"

"She's really into the scent of candles lately. If it wasn't for her, I probably wouldn't have gotten past the fear of lit candles. I mean, there's other parts of this stupid pyrophobia, but I can at least stand candles again." He grinned and held out his paw to her. "Shall we go downstairs?"

"We shall, good sir," she laughed, taking his paw and walking down the stairs with him to find everyone sitting at the dining room table eating breakfast. "Good morning! Fēnglì, do you need help braiding your hair?"

The fourteen-year-old red-tabby striped silver panda laughed. "Yeah. _Mǔqīn_ was too busy with Sawyer and Nolan to help me out with it, Jewel. I'm still bad at doing all this hair, but soon I'll be able to donate it!"

"Well, Beary can get my breakfast. I'll help you out with the brushing and braiding." Jewel, having already let go of Beary's paw, went with Fēnglì into the living room.

"Has he asked you out yet?" Fēnglì questioned as Jewel brushed his waist-length natural silver, black, and red hair. He could see in the reflection of the TV that she was looking into the kitchen where Beary was filling two plates full of bacon, eggs, sausage, and some fish, along with two glasses of orange juice.

"No, not yet. I don't think he even notices all the hints I've dropped him," she murmured. "Maybe he's not into me and really does just want to stay friends."

"Or he's just extremely dense to not ask out someone as beautiful as you. If I didn't already have my eyes on this beautiful girl Rādhikā Miśrā, I'd ask you out." Fēnglì smiled and laughed when he saw her embarrassed expression in the reflection. "Jewel, you have nothing to worry about. Why don't _you_ just ask him out?"

"But what if he says no?"

"Or you could just do what my parents did."

"Uh, no. For one, we're teenagers."

"Eh, true. Who needs that baggage? You two are always together anyway. Go to movies, get ice cream... You're dating, but not dating, ya know? You just haven't made it official."

She laughed and shook her head. "Now hush, you." She started braiding, just a simple braid, and smiled as she thought about what Fēnglì had said. He was right, as usual. She and Beary did do a lot together that usual couples did. They would even hang out in secluded areas and just talk. So why weren't they dating?

"There, you're done," she said finally. "Did you eat yet?"

"Mhm. It was delicious. Just glad I got out of there before the other littles got there. Are we heading to town? To the Barrington Bakery before shopping?"

Jewel nodded. "Make sure you get the money from Méngméng for you and the twins, and I already have the money I saved up from working at the grocery for my brothers, and Beary has his from working at Allison's bakery. Anyway, make sure you have everything ready."

"Are you going to get something special for Beary?"

Face heating up, Jewel looked away. "I don't know what would be special enough..." Sure, she had some ideas, but an art kit wasn't special enough, even though she had already ordered him a fancy one.

"You could give him a kiss."

"What?! No! Fēnglì! Bah!" She backed away and went into the kitchen, flustered.

Beary walked out just then, having already finished his meal in the fifteen minutes it had taken Jewel to braid Fēnglì's hair. "What's up with her?" he asked the teenager in confusion.

"Oh, she's just flustered over something I said, that's all. Say, when are you going to ask her out?"

"Ask her out? She doesn't like me like that, and you know it. She's perfection and I'm damaged... No matter how much I love her, what's it going to do? Look at me. I'm scared of fire, I have scars on my leg and ear. I'm half-deaf, Fēnglì. She deserves so much better..." His ears flattened and he sank into the large couch cushions.

His fourteen-year-old friend rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't she be the one who decides who she wants? Who and what she deserves?"

"Yeah, but..."

"No, none of that. You just need to ask her out and stop beating around the bush. It's obvious you're into her, bro." Fēnglì sat on the other couch.

"What makes you such a love expert?"

The panda laughed. "Do you not realize what my parents did when they dug each other? What they still do a lot?"

"Oh, we're all well aware that they, uh, had a great time. Jewel and I are not like that, though, and you know it." He glared at him. "And at least while your Dad's on tour they can't keep you up anymore with their shenanigans."

Fēnglì laughed. "I've learned to put in ear plugs or listen to music on my headphones when they get up to it. It's amazing how active they are."

"Well, it explains why she's pregnant with four." Beary snorted. "Had to make up for lost time. Your Mom's _huge_. At least her pregnancy's almost over, right?"

Fēnglì nodded. "It's going to be hell, having four crying babies at home. Ugh. Not looking forward to that. And _Mǔqīn's_ not happy about having to take such a long time from work. She's been talking about strangling Papa."

The older teenager laughed. "I'll bet. She's been ordered to sit down a lot. So sad for such an active she-bear. That's why she's been staying over here because she needs the help."

"Mhm. But at least with this pregnancy they haven't been... Wait, why are we talking about this?"

"That's what I want to know, young bear," a very pregnant Méngméng asked, up and walking for the first time in days. She was leaning against the doorframe, tapping her foot against the wooden floor.

Beary sunk down in the couch while Fēnglì sunk a bit and slowly turned, peering over the top at his mother, his black ears flat against his head.

" _Nǐ hǎo mǔqīn. Nǐ hǎo ma?_ "

She glared at him and started speaking in a heated Chinese tongue.

Beary took the opportunity to sneak away. While he didn't understand Chinese very well, he knew enough that Fēnglì was being rebuked for their conversation. Though, Méngméng was right. Why _were_ they talking about such things? Bah. Not something to hook his mind onto, yet immediately the thought of him and Jewel...

' _Gah! No, no, no! What the hell?!_ ' His eyes went wide and he gasped.

"Uh, Beary? Are you all right?" Jewel was staring right at him, and he realized he had wandered into the dining room.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine." He looked over at his mother and all the cubs.

Jewel nodded and went back to her food.

"Beawy! Beawy!" Lyra called from where she was sitting. "Hugs! Hug, hug, hug!"

Grateful for the distraction, Beary went over to his little sister and, upon finding she had finished her food, picked her up out of her chair and wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug.

Helen smiled, watching the two. "Beary, clothes her?" she asked, hoping Beary would dress the little cub because Helen's fall earlier was still causing her leg to hurt a bit.

Beary nodded and carried his sister into her room. "All right, Lyra Hymn, what shall we wear today?" He set her down to let her play with her train set, and went over to her colorful wardrobe to search for something worthy. After a few minutes, he pulled out a simple emerald green dress with a black faux fur hem, and black pants. After helping her get dressed, he then grabbed her brush and ran it over her exposed fur and then through her hair before braiding and fixing it in a bun. As a final touch, he fixed a band around the bun, letting some blackish-blue-green feathers hang down.

"Oh, you are so beautiful! Yes, you are!" He pulled her into his arms and smiled happily as she snuggled against him while purring loudly.

The little cub seemingly stared past him as she smiled, but that was normal as her eyes could see nothing but darkness. "Candle?"

"Of course. But first, we're going to go to a bakery, honey. We have to wait for everyone to finish their breakfast, okay? Do you want to play with your train set?"

"Uh-huh."

Beary nodded and set her down in the center and guided her paw to the engine. "There you go. Have some fun, all right?"

"Stay, Beawy! Pway!" she ordered, not wanting him to leave.

"All right, all right." He smiled and picked up another engine, putting it on the track. "Here comes the train! Choo, choo!"

"Chuggah, chuggah, choo, choo!" she repeated happily as she moved her train around, gleefully crashing it into anything she ran into.

"Oh no! A train crash!" Beary made explosive sounds. "Those poor people!"

"Huh? No! Peeple okay, Beawy! Peeple safe! No hurty!" Lyra was alarmed by this news and made to quickly rectify it by picking up her train cars and putting them back on the track to the best of her ability. "See? All bedder!"

He kissed her nose and smiled. "Don't ever change, little Lyra. You're too special." He lifted her into his arms, gave her a snuggle, and set her back down to play.

.~*~.

"Mom! We're here!" Beary called as he walked into the bakery belonging to his human mother. His tone was a bit shaky as he felt the traffic ticket he had stuffed in his pocket. On the way there, the gas pedal in his black '67 Chevy Impala had gotten stuck and sped him up for a few minutes, and he'd gotten pulled over. Typically, as soon as the lights and siren wailed, the pedal became unstuck and he was able to safely pull over.

Thankfully, the officer had taken pity on him and, knowing him and his family, decided to simply give him a ticket. He would have let him go, but there were little cubs in the car.

Beary knew his parents would kill him if they found out about the ticket, so he'd tell them after the holidays so as to not spoil the mood.

"Beary? Is that you?" Allison stepped out from the back and grinned as she hurried over and hugged her furry son. "It's so good to see you!" While she was no longer legally considering his mother, she quite enjoyed him calling her "Mom", just like old times. Ever since Henry had gotten them out of prison all those years ago for what really was a misunderstand, Allison had been indebted to him and paid her debts by loving their shared cub.

"See me? Mom, I was just here yesterday!" Beary laughed and hugged her back. "This time, though, I've brought the army of cubs. It's time to shop for presents!" He looked down at Lyra, who was eagerly sniffing the air. "Do you smell the yummy food?"

"Uh-huh!"

Allison smiled. "Lyra, can I have a hug?"

"Hug!" She held out her arms and Allison carefully picked her up. "Yay!"

"Oh, you are a sweet little girl. Tell you what, I'll sneak you a muffin. One for each of you." Allison looked over as all the cubs entered the bakery. "My, my, look at you all! Looking spiffy! Beary, would you go get the muffins I set aside?"

"Sure." He went back, listening as his 'adoptive' mother spoke to Jewel, Fēnglì, and the army of cubs, knowing she was glad for the company. Since he didn't see Kristina, he assumed his little human sister was most likely spending one last day with her friend, Tiffany, before Tiffany's family went on their trip to visit family in New York.

Finding the muffins, he sniffed and grinned. Apple cinnamon. Perfect. However, as they had all eaten already, he packed them up in to-go boxes to have later for a snack. Carrying the three boxes out, he put them in a bag and took them out to his black '67 Chevrolet Impala.

"Well, Mom, we'll be back later, all right? When are Dex and Roxi getting here?" he asked upon walking back in.

"Tomorrow. They're packing up suitcases tonight and we'll pick them up when we go to the tree farm and bring them home," Allison responded as she started preparing the register for opening the store. She had passed Lyra to Jewel. "Where's the pup?"

"At home being fit for a Christmas surprise. We figured that since Lyra's with all of us, she doesn't need him today." Beary grinned. "We're gonna get going, though. Do you need any help today?"

"No. Barb's going to be in for her last day before her trip, and I'll be working hard finishing orders. Thankfully there aren't many left. And then I'll be closing for the next few days for the holiday before being back in business for a few days, and then going closing for New Year's." Allison shifted back her hair and looked over at her 'son'. "Are you okay? You look tired."

"I'm fine." He shifted his gaze away from her. "Jewel, ready to get going?"

The golden beauty nodded and spoke quietly to Lyra as she went back outside.

"Beary, you're alone now. What's going on?" She moved away from the register and reached up, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Talk to me, honey."

The teenager frowned and sighed. "Just didn't sleep much last night, that's all. Excited for everyone coming home, I guess. It'll be a nice break from having to be all responsible all the time."

"Henry never should have put all this on you. Sure, Méngméng, Fēnglì, and Jewel are there, but there's other cubs to help out with, and you... You have to take care of two handicapped bears. And during school time? He was irresponsible in doing this. How does he expect you to work at the grocery with Jewel, do well in school, and be able to help out around the house?"

Beary shrugged and sat down at one of the small tables. "I just feel useless at times. I know he told me to tell him if he needs to come home, but... I don't know why I don't. Maybe I'm just mad? I want to prove myself, and right now it's just stressing me out."

"Of course it is. You're only sixteen. You shouldn't have had this put on your shoulders." Allison grabbed two juices from a fridge beneath the counter on her side and went back to the table, sitting down and giving him one.

"But why should I complain? Jewel doesn't, and she's taking care of her younger brothers. She even helps out with Méngméng and the little Seilleans. She gets her homework done, and works tirelessly at the grocery. She even worked extra shifts the last couple of months to save up money to take her brothers on a shopping spree today." His ears lowered and he took a sip of his juice after opening it. "She helps out and gets so much more done, and here I am complaining. What right do I have, Mom?"

"You have every right. You're dealing with a young, blind child, and a mother who sometimes can't even remember how to turn on the faucet and has issues talking, as well as can get stressed and overwhelmed fairly easily. You've had your work cut out for you, Beary. Personally, I think Jewel got off easy." Allison sighed, thinking back on all the changes over the past several years. The responsibilities set upon her bear cub's shoulders. She knew he was becoming more and more sad as the years went on, and there was nothing she could do to help him other than offer the help he refused to take.

"Yeah, I guess so..." He took another drink. "I'm just glad they'll be back and I can relax for a little bit. Finish wrapping presents for everyone, help prepare for that blizzard that's promised over the holidays, dig out the sleds... Yeah. I'll have a vacation." He smiled at her. "And everyone will be there, and things will go back to normal. At least for a little while."

Standing up, he took a long drink and recycled away the bottle. "I'd better go catch up with them. Gonna see if my present for Jewel's done being fixed, too. See you soon, Mom!" He gave her a hug and walked out the door.

Allison managed a small smile, hoping he was telling the truth about being alright. She wasn't able to dwell on the thoughts as the first of her customers walked in.

* * *

 **Please review, as I want to know what you all think! Thanks for reading! See ya next time!**


	2. Part Two - The Quarrel

**CB does not belong to me [though I wish it did], which is why I write on here instead of publishing my stories in book form.**

 **So sit back and enjoy reading "A Holiday to Remember". NExt posting is Sunday!**

* * *

 **Part Two – The Quarrel**

The air was filled with a tenseness that not even a knife could cut. Each bear stared at the other, faces blank but eyes filled with determination. Eyes shifted, and intimidating stare downs began, but none backed off.

"Fifty tokens," Zeb said finally, pushing a heap of arcade tokens into the center of the table. "Any bets?"

Fred pushed the last remaining twenty tokens he had, Ted put a hundred, Tennessee added another fifty, and Trixie silently added two hundred from her massive pile.

"Feeling bold, lady?" Zeb questioned, glancing over at her.

"I'm always bold, Zoober," she responded.

Ted glanced at her and groaned, setting down his cards. "I fold."

Tennessee and Fred did the same, leaving the two best players to hash it out.

Zeb grinned. "Well, my dear, I'm afraid I've beaten you this time. Straight, in diamonds." He laid down his cards and prepared to gather the tokens when he saw her ears fall.

Trixie grinned after a moment, raising her ears playfully. "Don't be so fast, sugar cube. In your honor, a royal flush." She set her cards down, and the others started laughing at the startled expression on Zeb as Trixie took her winnings and dumped her large pile of arcade tokens into a bag. She'd divide them up later for her cubs.

Up front, Henry snorted and glanced over his reading glasses rims and book to look at the five sitting at the table. "You boys know better than to play poker with Trixie. She always wins." Fifty-eight-year-old Henry Taylor studied his band in amusement as they laughed at Zeb.

The years had changed everyone. Roadie's blonde hair had become gray with age. He wasn't the only one, as all but Zeb had a touch of gray to their hair and snouts at this point. Fred's hair had thinned greatly, but the rest of his fur was still as thick as ever – something the others teased him about. Ted let the gray take his hair and snout, and actually had received a surge of popularity. Trixie had grown her hair out past her shoulders, revealing that it was naturally wavy; she liked putting it in braids. Tennessee hadn't changed very much, other than some more gray to him. He was still a crybaby, but thankfully not as bad as he had been before. Zeb's fur had darkened and his tabby stripes became more prominent. He was just beginning to show little bits of silver along his nose and had one streak in his hair of silver, though he'd argue that he simply bleached and dyed a little of it.

Trixie cackled as she tied the bag and set it in her duffle bag. "You boys game for another?"

"NO!"

She laughed and shook her head. "Fine, then. We'll just sit here."

"How about we play Go Fish, then?" Fred suggested. It was his favorite game. "No betting?"

"That sounds like a plan." Trixie nodded. "Three cards each, then. Henry, you want to join us?"

"I'm actually going to call and check in with Helen. Find out what's new at home before we walk into a surprise in a few hours." Henry smiled at her.

"Going to find out if Beary and Jewel are dating yet?" Ted asked, amused as he watched Trixie shuffle the cards.

"Psh, those two are too stupid to realize they like each other," Zeb laughed. "Everyone can see that they dig each other."

"They are much too young to start dating!" Tennessee gasped, eyes widening. "They're only sixteen!"

"So? What's wrong with that?" Zeb asked. "Are you telling me you never dated as a teenager?"

"No!"

Trixie looked at her husband in surprise. "Really? I already had a boyfriend by the time I was sixteen. Oh, Tennessee!" She laughed a little at his watery eyes. "He was nothing compared to you, sweetheart. He was a big, tough guy who just wanted a pretty girl." She kissed his cheek lovingly. "Now, suck it up and deal out the cards. I need food." She stepped off her chair, paw on her pregnant belly, and went up to the front, raiding the fridge built into the bench across from Henry and behind Roadie's seat.

"Ah, the cravings strike again?" Roadie asked, glancing back in the rearview mirror. He then glanced over at Henry, who was quietly talking on his cell phone.

"Indeed. I'm so glad we had these installed. Stroke of genius, really." She smiled up at him before setting upon making a multi-layer sandwich. "Pregnancy makes you quite hungry."

"It does indeed," Roadie replied. "I wonder how big Méngméng's gotten."

"Carrying four? She's probably huge. It's going to take years to get rid of that baby fat." Trixie glanced back at Zeb. "You ruined her body!"

He looked up, startled. "Huh? Whose body?"

"Your wife's? I mean, four babes? And you've missed most of the pregnancy. At least you'll be there for the holidays to help out. Hell, I'd be surprise if she didn't pop over our break. And if she does, what are you going to do?" She brought the sandwich back to the table.

He frowned. "I... She shouldn't. She's only three and a half months along. She'll be ready by the time we finish the full tour. And if she comes before, then I'll head home. We've already discussed it. She's going to tell me the genders as a present." He grinned happily. "I know, I know, four's a lot, but we'll manage. We have so far."

"Yeah, but your oldest boy's fourteen now, isn't he? He can help out," Tennessee stated.

"Yes, he can, and he enjoys doing it. He's happy to have siblings, and both his parents with him, happily married," Zeb responded. "At least right now he has his mother with him, and isn't left completely alone to watch his younger siblings like Jewel is."

Trixie's eyes widened and she stopped mid-bite. "That's... That's different. Both of us are working hard, and Jewel knows it. She is used to this life. And she knows that we've all been saving up for a second bus so we can take our children, and spouses, with us."

"Not all of us can," Zeb muttered, thinking about his wife who still was a rescue paramedic. At least, she would be again sometime after giving birth; since she was carrying so many, she hadn't been allowed to work, but they kept her on pay. He knew she was terribly bored, and he felt horrible for not even being there for her during this time, but they needed the money a tour would bring now more than ever – especially since they had to expand their cabin now.

Tennessee frowned, glancing over at him. "We don't go on tours often, Zeb. But at least we're still popular enough to warrant tours and people buying our albums and those mp3 files."

"Yeah, but..." He shrugged. "I do feel bad about not being there for my cubs. Missing out on the twins growing up."

"Zeb..."

"No, never mind me. Just missing my girl and cubs." He shook he head and reached back, fingering his braid for a moment before gently rubbing his wedding ring. "It'll be good to be home again."

Ted nodded. "Yeah, but I'm not looking forward to it. Why did Henry have to invite his old war buddy and his daughter, Jade? I mean, I'm not against seeing Jade and my boy again, but her father scares me. At least her mother and brother are a lot nicer."

"Yeah, that's right, you two broke up." Fred glanced at his brother. "But I thought you were dating that Miley Stark or something?"

"No, that was the jerk who ruined my relationship with Jade."

"You guys fought all the time," Zeb commented. "And didn't you never set a date for the wedding?"

"Yeah, we fought, but it was mainly because of tours. At times she liked it, but in the end it wasn't worth it, apparently. She didn't trust me in that I didn't want Miley to kiss me. As for the date, what's the rush?"

"Uh, maybe that you have a kid?"

Ted's ears flattened as he thought about his son, Aiden. "Yeah, well... I'll win her back somehow." He shook his head. "Trixie, are you really going to eat all of that?"

She nodded, continuing to take big bites out of her sandwich. "I like being pregnant because I can eat whatever I want whenever I want." She grinned. "Plus, it's fun how you get to this stage."

Tennessee blushed furiously, while Zeb started laughing. "Amen to that!" the fiddler stated.

Fred snorted and Ted shook his head.

"Anyway, do you think they'll all like the gifts we've gotten them?" Zeb questioned, glancing to all the presents they had piled in the back of the bus.

"I'm sure they'll love them, Zeb. Don't worry," Trixie soothed. "Now then, are we going to start this game or not?"

.~*~.

As the bus finally parked in front of _Country Bear Hall_ , everyone was standing near the door, ready to get out, but also surprised to find that only Méngméng and Helen were there to greet them. All the cubs were missing.

Henry was the first one out, hobbling down the steps, leaning heavily on the railing, and finally stepped into the light, this time leaning on his cane. He walked right up the three steps to the porch and into his beloved's warm embrace. "Helena," he murmured, kissing her nose.

"My Hendri," she responded, nuzzling him. She glanced at the bus, watching as everyone wandered off. "Boys, Tri... Trixie," she greeted, pleased to see her band.

In turn, they all passed by, giving her a hug. Zeb's was much shorter as he wanted to greet his wife. He kissed his wife happily and spoke to his unborn cubs.

"How are things here, Helen?" Ted asked, glancing around. "Where are all the kids?"

"S-shopping," she responded. "Went to... bak... bakery and to g-git pr-presants."

"All of them?" Fred blinked in surprise. "Those three teens watching, what, five kids?"

"Well, only one is watching those kids, as the other two are most likely watching each other," Zeb snorted.

Méngméng cuffed him over the ear. "Surprisingly, they aren't dating yet, though Helen did find them together morning outside. And they are watching all the cubs. Beary has to keep a close eye on his little sister, you know."

"Right, Lyra's blind," Zeb remembered. "It's easy to forget. She acts so normal."

Henry scowled at the younger bear. "She _is_ normal, Zeb. Just because she can't see, it does not mean she cannot be normal."

Zeb flinched under the harsh tone. "Sorry, Henry. I didn't mean no offense."

Henry raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "Just don't say such things around her, all right? You know she'll take it to heart." Henry perked his ears and looked over as two cars, a '67 Impala and a blue 80s Mercedes, traveled across the bridge and parked beside the bus.

Immediately, a rush of cubs jumped out of the cars, racing towards the adults who greeted them with open arms.

Fēnglì, Jewel, and Beary hung back, watching the younger ones, and Beary glanced down, noticing that Lyra hadn't moved. He crouched down beside her. "Lyra? What's up?"

"Papa hew?" she asked, clinging to his arm. "No go bye-bye 'gin?"

Beary frowned and nuzzled her gently. "Oh, Lyra. Little Hymn, Papa's very busy, honey. He's got to make sure the band behave themselves."

"Band naughty?"

"Oh, the band is very naughty," he laughed, looking up at the other adults. "So naughty that they need a babysitter."

Lyra started giggling and climbed into her brother's arms. "Band, no! No! Bad! Be gud for Papa!"

Ted, Zeb, Fred, Tennessee, and Trixie all looked at the littlest Taylor with confusion, while Beary, Jewel, and Fēnglì couldn't stop laughing.

Beary got up and walked over to his parents. "Here we go, Lyra. You want to go to Papa?" He prepared to pass her off, but to his surprise, she clung to him instead, shaking her head. "Lyra?"

"No!" The little light ashen brown she-cub whined and whimpered, burrowing against her brother. "Papa bad, 'oo!"

"Papa bad?" Beary frowned, glancing over at Henry, noticing that his ears had flattened and his eyes filled with sorrow.

"Papa leave! He bad! Band bad! Want Beawy!"

"Lyra..." Beary sighed, wanting to correct her, but at the same time he felt the same way as her. He didn't like that Henry left on tours with the band, leaving him alone. He wanted a proper family, not one that split up so often. Had he let his own feelings spill out to her by mistake? "You need to go to Papa, honey. Papa misses you."

"No!" She shook her head. "Papa nagetpul! Beawy say so!"

"Nagetpul?" Beary's eyes widened when he realized what she meant - neglectful. "Uh-oh..." His ears flattened as he felt all eyes upon him and a deep growl came from his father. Slowly, he turned his head, looking at his parents and seeing their disappointed and upset expressions. "I, um..."

"Maybe you should go to your room," Henry stated, shaking with anger. " ** _Now_**."

Beary set Lyra down and sulked away, muttering to himself. He made sure to toss his keys to Fēnglì so he could get the packages out of the back.

Lyra got upset and started trying to follow him, but instead was picked up by the scruff as she almost toppled off the porch.

Henry groaned as he handed his daughter to his wife and looked back at his son, making sure he was indeed walking home and not running off. He then glanced back at the others. "Show's over," he said crossly. He turned and started hobbling away in the opposite direction of Beary.

Jewel sighed, shaking her head, and jumped when she heard her mother's shriek.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR HAIR?!"

Jewel laughed and turned to look at her parents. "I got it cut about a week back, and just had the tips died two hours ago once I finally decided on the color I wanted. I like it. Do you like my piercings, too? I thought about getting snakebites on my lips, but Beary talked me out of it."

"You..." Trixie stared at her young daughter, shocked. "Shockingly, it suits you." She glanced at her husband and rolled her eyes when she realized he was crying. "Tennessee..."

"Jewel's become a punk!" he wailed.

Jewel shook her head, while Zak and Riley tried to console their father, telling him not to cry, and then starting to cry as well. "I'm so glad I take after you, Mama," she laughed as she watched them.

"It's nice to have an ally," Trixie agreed, pulling her daughter in for a hug. "And you do look good."

Fēnglì went over to his father, smiling brightly. "Papa, how are you? Was the tour successful?" he questioned as he hugged him tightly.

"Very much so, my boy." Zeb kissed his forehead and smiled. "I have plenty of pictures to show you as well, and tales to tell. Are you ready to go home?"

Fēnglì nodded eagerly. "But I have to help Jewel carry in presents. Don't worry, they're already wrapped. We had a wrapping party with the kids at the Barrington home. We're taking them into the _Hall_ , right?"

"Yep. We're all celebrating together. I'm going to take your mother home soon, all right? I believe tomorrow we're going to get the tree, and we're going to decorate it then, too. Tonight we're just going to relax." Zeb wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders, and gave her a loving kiss. "Sawyer, Nolan, you two help out your brother and he'll bring you back home, all right?"

"Okay, Papa!" they responded, hurrying over to the cars and calling to their brother to open the doors.

While they did that, the band started taking in their own gifts and locking them in the practice room – where cubs were not allowed – after Roadie had moved the bus around the side of the building.

Trixie, however, stayed with Méngméng and Helen on the porch, watching the multitude of cubs helping bring in gifts from the teenagers' cars. "How are you doing? Ready to pop yet?"

"Oh, I feel like it," Méngméng laughed. "My doctor thinks the litter might come earlier than expected since there are so many. Four is such a change for us. But I managed to make it with the twins. What's four more?"

"Sleepless nights?" Trixie started laughing. "Moving around in your belly all the time?"

"Indeed," Méngméng grinned. "You're only expecting one, right?"

"Mhm, as far as I'm aware. We're going to look at the ultrasounds at Christmas to find out the gender. Guess Tennessee and I will never have a litter."

Helen chuckled as she gently hugged her little Lyra and pet her fur. "No litter for Hendri and me. Lyra last."

"And she is a beautiful last cub," Trixie agreed while Méngméng nodded. "Curious, mischievous, and very lovable. And the fact that she was born on April Fool's Day? Do you remember Henry's expression when he got off the bus and discovered a baby in your arms?" She started laughing. "He was so confused and then so guilty when you told him that the baby was his. We were all shocked to find out it was true – we thought it was a prank meant to scare him!"

Méngméng snorted. "It was very funny. And to think, they thought I was the mastermind behind it. Me and Jade. We all tried so hard to get Henry to believe us and to come back for the birth, but alas..."

"Scent-bonded with Beary, not Hendri," Helen murmured guiltily. "Why so close."

Trixie nodded, putting a paw on her arm before tapping Lyra on the nose. "You're so cute, little one."

"Cute!" she giggled, grabbing the finger and sucking on the claw.

The golden she-bear smiled and let her play with the finger. "You taste my sandwich, hm?"

"Fud! Muffins!" She sniffed the air.

"Muffins? I don't have muffins..."

Jewel walked by, carrying many packages and bags. "We had muffins from Allison's bakery as an afternoon treat." She walked through the main doors and vanished.

"That sounds delicious. Did you enjoy them, little one?" Trixie asked.

"Ya! I p'ay?"

Helen smiled and released the little cub, watching her as she sat down on the porch floor and played with her mother's feet.

 _.~*~._

Beary sat on the floor, plucking a few notes on his guitar. He sighed, thinking about what had happened earlier. He knew his father was furious, disappointed, and embarrassed. He had every right to be. Beary had never meant to cause Lyra to say those things. To say that their father was neglectful, despite Beary's feelings on the subject. He knew he had screwed up big time. He'd be lucky if he was only grounded.

Yet, Lyra hadn't lied. Beary _did_ believe his father was neglectful. Always busy and missing dinner and special school events. He'd missed countless track and field meets, and some soccer games. Hell, he'd miss almost all of last year's show choir competitions! The band, their families, and his adoptive family had made it to almost every event, but his father almost always missed them, even after promising to be there. He always came up with some excuse – something happening at the office, a meeting, or scouting for new talent. It was like he didn't even care.

Sure, they had spent the previous summer before the current tour together – for the most part – fixing up an old '67 Impala that Beary currently drove, but Henry still missed a lot of it, leaving a lot to him, Roadie, Big Al, and sometimes Dex. Hell, Henry had even bought the wrong sized pedals for it – human sized, which sometimes got stuck as they were in a bear-sized vehicle. But it hard to find parts for the vehicle, so Beary stuck it out. Sadly, whenever Beary brought up the sticking, Henry either ignored him entirely, or would say he'd fix it and then forget.

In fact, the gas pedal had gotten stuck earlier that day, which was why he'd been ticketed for speeding. What was he going to do about that? If his father found out, it'd be bad. Then again, Beary _had_ tried telling him about the pedals before... Beary knew he should have had Roadie or Big Al find the right ones.

But, alas, he was stuck. And, with his father so angry at him, he doubted the new bear-sized pedals would be ordered anytime soon. Heck, he probably wouldn't be driving for much longer, either, once his father got ahold of him.

Just the thought of being grounded put him on edge. He didn't want to stay home all day, every day! And what if he said he couldn't be around the others? Around Jewel or Lyra? What if he sent him away?

Add this probably grounding to the fact that Jewel was going to back to her cabin with her parents for the next few weeks, and Beary was ready to panic. What if he had another nightmare? What if he had to make sure she was all right? That his nightmare was just that? A dream? He supposed he could do what he used to – call or text her. That is, unless his phone was taken away.

Grumbling, he set his guitar back in the case and took out his hearing aid, setting it on the dresser by his fish tank and bamboo plant. He then settled himself down on his beanbag chair, picked up his cat, and watched his fish swimming around.

Tabitha purred and snuggled up to him, settling on his lap happily. She enjoyed his gentle petting, quite content.

Beary sat in silence for a few minutes before his good ear flicked back towards the door. "Go away."

"Beary, it's me. Let me in."

He grumbled and got up, holding Tabitha in one arm, and went over to the door, unlocking it. "Hey, Jewel. Let me put the hearing aid back in." He passed her the cat and went back to his dresser and fiddled around with the device, sticking it back into his ear. Now fully able to hear, he sat back down on the bean bag chair and gestured for her to grab the second one.

She did and sat next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. She passed Tabitha back to him, rested her head on his shoulder, watching his fish as she petted the cat in his lap.

"I screwed up big time," Beary mumbled.

"Not going to deny that, because you really did. Henry looked like he was going to kill you."

"I don't blame him for that. I was horrified that Lyra said what she had. I never meant for any of them to find out how I was feeling."

"You're justified in your feelings, though, Beary," Jewel reasoned. "You grew up a different way, in a family that strived to be together for the evening meal. Your adoptive parents worked 9-5 jobs." She laughed a bit. "Well, your Dad did. Your Mom was more very early morning, and then supervising her employees."

"Yeah... She works hard at her bakery, and Dad's been promoted at his business." He smiled a bit, thinking about it. "Dex is at the university with Roxi, they're living together in their own apartment... Kristina's halfway through kindergarten... Everyone's doing great. Mama's getting a bit better at speaking, but she still has her troubles. She can walk fine, too, and do math and other educational things really well, but she still suffers from that crash. Lyra's blind, but full of life, and Papa..." His smile turned into a frown as he pulled Tabitha closer, but she didn't like the tightness of the embrace and hissed and jumped out of his arms.

Jewel laughed a little before seizing the opportunity and taking the kitty's place on Beary's lap. "You look like you need a hug, so you go ahead and hug me, Beary."

He blushed heavily, but didn't deny her, wrapping his arms around her and falling quiet. He sat there, holding her in his lap and just taking comfort in her presence. Something about her always calmed him down and reassured him that everything was all right. Perhaps that was why whenever he had a nightmare he'd go and see her?

As they watched the fish swimming around in the tank, a purring Beary found himself unconsciously giving Jewel a few licks.

Jewel was surprised by this, of course, but she did not push him away; instead, she took comfort in his gentleness, and a purr rose from her throat as she leaned against him. Maybe, just maybe, he'd kiss her, too? Finally ask her out? A small giggle left her as his tongue went over her snout, and he rested his chin upon her head, rocking back and forth upon the beanbag chair.

At that moment, she decided that she didn't care if he kissed her; she just wanted those precious seconds to last forever.

"Jewel, out."

Beary sighed and glanced back to see his father in the doorway, glowering something fierce. He sighed and turned his head back to Jewel. "You need to go," he murmured softly, helping her get up.

Jewel gently squeezed his paw and nodded. "It'll be okay," she responded, leaving. "Don't be too hard on him, Henry. He didn't mean it."

"This is between me and him, Jewel. Stay out of it. Go home to your parents where you belong," Henry growled, earning a growl from Beary in response. Jewel quietly left.

"You didn't need to be a dick about it," Beary started, facing his father as Henry shut the door.

"And if you two aren't dating, you shouldn't be holding each other like that," Henry responded, not at all amused. "It was fine when you were little, but now all you do is send mixed signals, boy. You're not a child anymore, but almost an adult. And as such, you're going to start being held responsible for your actions. No more playing around like you've been doing. It's time for you to grow up and be ready to take on the world, lest it destroys you."

Beary couldn't believe this. Was he serious? "You're talking to _me_ about being responsible? You're the one who needs to look in a mirror! The past five years, I've been more responsible than you've given me credit for! Who takes care of Mama when you're not home? Who keeps the house clean when she can't move? Helps her practice speaking? Who helped care for her during her pregnancy with Lyra?! Not you!"

"Don't you dare bring that up!"

"What, don't I dare remind you of how you failed? How you didn't believe Mama when she told you she was pregnant? When she gave birth? How you refused to come home? Do you know how often Mama cried, scared that you wouldn't come back at all? Do you know how scared that made me? How angry she would get? I'm shocked she didn't miscarry her in the chaos! Maybe that's why Lyra was born blind, because Mama was so stressed out!"

"That is enough! You know nothing!"

"No, _you_ know nothing! You weren't there for her, but I was. I stayed by her side, and I was in than delivery room, where _you_ should have been. I made that scent bond with Lyra when it should have been you! I took care of her until you came back, when Mama didn't feel like she could ever be a good mother again. Where she wanted to abandon her because you weren't there. You have no frickin' idea what she's been through, and she won't tell you it herself because she doesn't want you to worry."

Henry's eyes narrowed and he took a step forward. "Stop lying. Helen wouldn't do that! She would have told me if she was panicking that bad."

"She didn't want you to worry. Hell, do you even realize that she's been this way for years? Afraid you won't come back from those tours? That'd you find someone more beautiful and better than her?"

"Beary, that is enough! I don't know what's gotten into you lately, but I've had enough of it. I don't know where you're getting these ideas, if it's from TV, computer, books, or just being a stubborn teenager, but I'm done with it."

"Because you can't handle it! You could never handle being a father! You missed Trista's birth, and barely came to visit when you were stationed in Colorado. You missed Jacob growing up with her because you were taking the band on tour and didn't want to take two kids along! Hell, the whole reason I vanished and Mama was left in a coma was because you were too lazy to get off your ass and take care of me!"

Feeling his rage build to the point of exploding, Henry swung his cane. "I said that's enough!" He took a few deep breaths, trying to collect himself and clear his mind, knowing he'd lost control of himself, and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he lowered his cane. He hadn't meant to swing, and he prayed he hadn't hit him by mistake. He was tired, frustrated, and angry – a lethal combination. He was reeling inside, afraid to open his eyes for fear of what he might find. Had he hit him? Was Beary scared of him?

"Beary, I..." He opened his eyes and blinked, noting the look of horror on Beary's face. He followed his gaze and realized with dread he'd broken the fish tank, and Beary's goldfish was flopping on the floor. Before Henry could move to pick it up in an attempt to save it, Tabitha shot out from underneath the bed, nabbed it with her teeth, and took off running to enjoy her meal.

"Beary..." Henry's ears flattened against his head as Beary walked through the broken glass, water, and pebbles that flowed down the dresser and covered his floor, grabbed his spare set of car keys, and took off, leaving the father to fall to his knees and cry.

* * *

 **Please review, as I want to know what you all think! Thanks for reading! See ya next time!**


	3. Part Three - Family Reunion

**CB does not belong to me [though I wish it did], which is why I write on here instead of publishing my stories in book form.**

 **So sit back and enjoy reading "A Holiday to Remember". Next posting is Sunday!**

* * *

 **Part Three – Family Reunion**

At the Nashville International Airport, two families reunited at the baggage claim after being separated by the check-in lines, since one family was flying in from Canada and the other from Alaska. Three young cubs, ranging from the age of five to nine, laughed and held paws, running around in circles. Brother and sister greeted each other, as did their respective mates.

Reddish-brown furred, green eyed Trista Taylor Rowan hugged her brother again. Sure, they'd spent the entire flight together with their families, and a few days prior to the flight together at her home in Canada, she had still missed him and seeing him again made her happy, since they rarely got to see each other. "Now that we're finally here, we can get our stuff and start our journey to home!"

The taller Taylor sibling, standing at 6'6", dusty-brown furred, green eyed Jacob towered over his 5'11" sister. "Indeed. It'll be good for the twins to have someone to play with and to give their mother and baby brother a break." He looked over at his eldest cubs, nine-year-old twins brown-furred Kenya and black-furred Kaspian, and smiled. He then glanced at his black-furred wife, Rachel, who was holding a sleeping charcoal-colored Owen in her arms. "Still sleeping, huh?"

She smiled and nodded, nuzzling her little one-year-old happily.

"I know what you mean. Aspen Gale's been driving her father and I crazy with her excitement on going to see her grandparents, Beary, and, of course, Lyra. I can't get a moment's rest." Trista put a paw on her own slightly distended belly, excited for the day when her newest cub was born. Her eyes lifted up and she glanced towards the luggage area, where her husband, Kavik "Kai" Rowan was picking up their suitcases. "Aspen, go help your father and get your suitcase!"

"Okay, Mommy!" Red-furred, with a golden T going from her muzzle to partially around her blue eyes, Aspen broke away from her friends and hurried over to her father, standing beside him while waiting on her purple suitcase to come down the belt.

Jacob gathered up his own twins and took them over to get their suitcases as well, leaving Rachel and Trista alone with Owen.

"He was the perfect flyer," Trista smiled, looking down at her little nephew. She tapped his nose gently and laughed when he wriggled it. "Ah, I love it when they're this size. Yes, you have diapers to change, but they're just so cute when they're young. They suck on your finger, thinking you're feeding them, and their mouths are so gummy!"

Rachel started laughing. "Are you fangirling my baby?"

"Damn straight!"

"I think you've spent too much time in the Yukon, sweetie."

"Hey, at least I'm not as far from civilization as Alaska!"

"Touché. But at least I have your devilishly handsome brother to take care of me on cold nights."

"When he's not out at sea rescuing boaters, you mean."

Rachel sighed and nodded. "I know he loves his job as a rescue diver, but it does worry me a lot. It's so easy for something to go wrong, and I don't know what I'd do if I lost him."

Trista put an arm around her sister-in-law and hugged her gently. "You would either go back to your family, come stay with me, or go to our parents' home in Tennessee."

"Oh, no way. Your parents are way too chaotic with the band. Plus, I would miss my mountains, ocean, and snow too much." She shook her head. "Well, let's not put such thoughts in our mind this holiday. It's supposed to be a joyous time, is it not?"

"Indeed. I can't wait to see Beary and Lyra again. I hope they haven't gotten into too much trouble. Speaking of Beary..." Trista pulled out her phone and glanced at the message it contained. "Rachel, I think you and Kavik will have to take the rental car together with the four cubs. Beary needs to talk to me and Jacob, and he's on his way here. Is that all right with you?"

"Considering you actually called Kai by his real name, I realize this is serious, so by all means, go ahead." Rachel eyed her worriedly and sat down on a bench to wait for Kavik as Trista went to tell her brother.

 _.~*~._

"He swung his cane at you?!" Trista was appalled. That didn't sound like her father at all. At least, he hadn't acted that way in a very, very long time. Not since before Jacob was born and he was struggling with PTSD from the war.

"He got angry like that after the band broke up, too," Jacob murmured. "Guess the band kept him busy, and without them, and you being very sickly, well, I guess his PTSD roared up again. He tried his best, but sometimes he'd get very angry after the crash. Very angry or very sad, or neutral. He always blamed himself for losing you and Mama's coma. It's one reason why I left when I could. Tris, you were better at dealing with his mood swings than I was. But why would he start up now? He has the band to keep him occupied, he has you back, and he has Mama."

"Maybe it's because I called him neglectful. Or, rather, Lyra overheard me talking about it and told him that I said he was neglectful. I know I shouldn't have blown up at him over the missing her pregnancy and birth thing, but damn it, I was pissed about that. Why didn't he believe her?"

"Considering she'd been in a crash, and her age, I can see why he didn't believe she was pregnant. Or perhaps he was terrified of being a father again. Or perhaps he was still suffering from nightmares about the fire you two went through. We'll never know for sure. He may not be the greatest father, but he's still our father and he does love us. I'm sure he's sorry about what he did, and about your fish. Man, I didn't realize we'd be coming home to a family feud." Jacob sighed and shook his head.

"I'm sorry for causing all this. I didn't mean to say the things I did, and I know, deep down, he didn't mean to swing that cane or break my fish tank. Or, you know, have Tabs run off to eat my fish. I'm just glad I took off before I could say anything further about it." Beary sighed, rubbing his thumbs on the steering wheel as he switched lanes. "Or before he found out about the ticket."

"You got a ticket?" Trista looked at her youngest brother incredulously. "What for?"

"My gas pedal got stuck again, as I've mentioned before, so I got a ticket for speeding. I probably wouldn't have gotten one at all if Lyra, Fēnglì, Sawyer, and Nolan hadn't been in the car with me."

"Oh, dear. I can see why you want to keep this information from Papa."

Jacob shook his head. "Why haven't you gotten a new pedal yet? You're going to end up in an accident if you don't get that fixed."

"I've mentioned it several times before, but he's always busy... And now after this argument, I doubt it's going to happen at any point soon. Hell, I'm probably grounded by this point, too." He sighed and focused on the road. "Sorry for dragging you two away from your families for my troubles."

"No, no, it's understandable, and you are our family," Trista reasoned, reaching forward and squeezing his shoulder. "Papa just needs to find someone to talk to and help him sort himself out. He never spoke to anyone about the war or anything, and things only really got bad when he didn't have things to keep him occupied."

Beary smiled at her in the rearview mirror. "It's nice having siblings. I can't wait to see Dex when he and Roxi get back from the university."

"Dex is pretty cool," Jacob agreed, thinking about the human he considered a younger brother. "Studying to be a firefighter, right?"

"Firefighter/EMT, yeah, but also dealing with computer science, and Roxi's gonna be a teacher. Jewel and I can't wait to get to college. We've both already planned on going to School of Music and both taking business classes. Papa's spoken about me taking over the company one day, and I want Jewel to work by my side."

"Aw, our little musician," Jacob teased, rubbing his head lightly. "So, what's going on with you two, anyway? You dating yet?"

"N-No!" Beary squeaked in response, flushing under his fur, earning laughter from his older siblings.

"But you'd like to, huh?" Jacob questioned, amused.

"Well, yeah, but... I..." He shook his head. "She doesn't even like me like that."

"Are you kidding me? With the way she looks and acts around you?" Trista cracked up. "Beary, she's totally into you, and has been probably waiting for you to ask her out for ages. Haven't you noticed odd behavior lately?"

"Well, she did climb into my lap earlier... NO, WE DIDN'T MAKE OUT, JACOB!" he yelled at his brother, who was playfully making kissing noises. "Ugh, I can't talk to you. Trista, shut him up."

"Jacob, behave."

"Aw, but it's fun to tease him!"

"Ah, but you shouldn't tease him about love. You might scare him off! Jewel won't thank you for that!"

Beary groaned and rolled his eyes. "You two are ridiculous. How are we related again?"

"Well, you see, little brother, Mama and Papa loved each other very much, and that love led to-"

"GAH! No, no, no!"

The older siblings laughed loudly and shook their heads. Both quite enjoyed teasing their younger brother. When they had heard, six years prior, that their baby brother had been found, both had rushed out to see him, despite their busy schedules, and found a very odd cub who seemed to know little about being a bear. He knew how to playfight, yes, but he was also very, very gentle with fragile things. He didn't know how to climb trees, even! Not even fish like a bear, or how to sniff out the best beehive for sneaking honey. When they were finally told that humans had raised him for almost eight years, everything clicked together.

While, at first, the duo had been wary of the humans that had raised their brother – often asking questions about why he'd never been returned to their father – they soon came to enjoy their company and accept them as family, something they knew pleased Beary greatly.

"How is your human family doing, anyway?" Trista questioned, curious.

"Mom's bakery is really picking up speed. She had to hire a few more employees, and gets orders from Nashville and Shelbyville! Dad's boat shop might not do so well with Pendleton, but he, too, gets people coming in from those places, too. Dex and Roxi are doing well at the university, and Kristina is loving school, so I get to walk home with her every day, pick up my car from in front of the house, and then me and Jewel drive back to the _Hall_."

"How's Zeb's wife? I hear she's going to have a litter?"

"Mhm. Four, sometime in early spring. Fēnglì, Sawyer, and Nolan are excited to have more siblings, and they know they'll have to help pitch in. Méngméng's itching to get back to work, though. Ted and Jade, as far as I'm aware, are still fighting, though. Fred's got a boyfriend that's currently in France for whatever reason – I think he's a wine seller? Anyway, Tennessee and Trixie are expecting another cub, though I have a feeling it might be two." Beary glanced over at his brother for a moment. "And how is Owen?"

"Growing stronger every day. He's a very handsome cub, but that's to be expected, considering his father is just so gosh darn sexy," Jacob teased.

Beary and Trista just rolled their eyes.

"And when will yours be born, Trista?"

"Soon. In the next month or so. Gonna be a January baby!"

"Know the gender yet?"

"Genders, Beary. Turns out there's three! Oh, I love being a bear. You can hide your pregnancy so easily." She giggled and laughed at their stunned expressions. "This will probably be our last pregnancy, though. We don't want to have too many cubs, and four is a good number to have. And no, we wanted to keep it a surprise for ourselves what genders they are."

"Three? Wow. So we have a lady who's having a litter of four, you're having a litter of three, and Trixie may or may not be having twins. Although, why she even chose to have more cubs is beyond me, considering she already has two cubs that she leaves Jewel to care for when they're on tour."

"Boy, don't you sound bitter. From what I understand, Jewel offers to take care of her little brothers while they're on tour, and it's something she's used to. Plus, both her parents are famous musicians and singers. Neither can stay behind, but I'm sure if they could, they would. Should they be denied children they love and care for simply because they go on tour?"

"Well, no... but she sometimes runs herself ragged caring for those two rugrats, schoolwork, social time, and her job at the grocery store. Same with me, even though I'm only caring for Lyra and Mama at times. Papa's always busy and missing out on things." His ears lowered and he sighed. "I don't like to complain – you know I don't – but Papa's driving me crazy. I just want to be a normal teenager."

"Beary, you're the son of the manager of _The Country Bears_. Your life will never be normal. On top of that, you have a weird name." Jacob laughed a little and shook his head. "Hey, who is honking?" He glanced out the window as two cars – one a lime green Dodge Charger and the other a nice four-door pickup – rolled up alongside them.

Beary grinned and honked his own horn in response and gave a wave. "Jade and the Falcos. Ted's gonna get it when they get to the _Hall_. Looks like she brought the whole clan."

"He'd better watch his ass. I've met her father, and considering what happened between the pair of them, I wouldn't want to be in Ted's shoes," Jacob spoke, excited to see what would happen.

"I'll make sure to bake some popcorn," Trista responded with a laugh.

"You two are awful," Beary snorted.

"We're Taylors. We're supposed to be."

 _.~*A Holiday to Remember*~._

"Nana!" three cubs shouted as they jumped out of the big van their parents had rented and ran to their grandmother's arms as she carefully knelt down on the porch of the _Hall_ to greet them.

"My babies!" Helen cooed, pulling them all in close, delighted to see her grandchildren. She planted kisses on all their faces and smiled brightly.

Rachel, after passing over Owen to his grandmother, and Kai watched the interaction from the van for a few moments before getting ready to unpack and put the multiple suitcases on the long trailer attached to a powerful golf cart to take to the cabins. They glanced back to the parking lot in time to see the Falcos pull in and park, and Beary's Impala arrive.

The Falcos added their suitcases to the trailer, and Officer Jade walked up to the porch to greet Helen.

"Hello, Helen. How have you been doing? Where's Lyra?" Jade questioned, setting her Ted-lookalike son, Aiden, down on the ground so he could play with the Taylor/Rowan cubs.

"P'ayin' over t-there," Helen responded, pointing to a full playground where her daughter was climbing across a railed in jumping bridge to get to a long slide.

"She's certainly come a long way, playing on that on her own," Jade mused. "Now, where's my traitor of a mate?"

Helen frowned before gesturing over in the direction of his cabin. "Wo'kin."

"Really? He gets back today and starts working instead of coming to meet us? That just furthers his guilt! Ugh!" Jade shook her head and turned to watch her son and the Taylor/Rowan cubs going to the playground. "Aiden, you be careful, and none of you push Lyra over!" Still watching them, she went back to speaking to Helen. "Where's Henry, and where are we staying on this holiday?"

"Hendri walking grounds. You stay wit' Ted?"

"Oh, hell no. Not after the stunt he pulled a few months ago. I mean, kissing a fan? Seriously? We were supposed to get married, and he goes and does that! At least he didn't sleep with that she-bear, or my father would have a new skin run."

Helen looked at her, startled. "How work?"

"Work's fine. Still partnered with the king of donuts, James." Jade laughed a bit. "Caught a robber the other day. Felt good to take him down. James and the Stones will be out tomorrow. They'll meet us at the tree farm. They're getting a tree for their place. Where's the Seilleans?"

"Right here, Jadey-lady!" Zeb called from behind her, picking her up and giving her a hug.

"Ack! Not cool, Zoober!"

He took on a look of contempt. "Zoober is my stage name, Ms. Falco." He set her back down and laughed.

Jade shook her head and looked over at Méngméng, Fēnglì, and the twins – who rushed passed them all to the playground to join the other cubs. "My, my, aren't you getting round?" she asked, looking her silver panda friend over.

"Aye, I am, but I'm still beautiful and able to kick ass," Méngméng laughed, hugging her friend. "It's good to see you again. You don't come around nearly enough."

"Work's been busy, and I'm still pissed off at Ted." She glanced at Fēnglì. "Did you get taller since I saw you last? Your stripes are filling out nicely. A lovely red." Fēnglì blushed and smiled, replying to her in Chinese, unaware of doing so, to which she responded. "You'll have your pick of the ladies, I believe. A bear with stripes is such a catch." She winked and smiled, watching as Helen went to greet her oldest children and their spouses. "How's everyone else?"

"Ted's mopey, Tennessee and Trixie are very... beddy, and Fred's just checking out butts, mainly," Zeb responded, laughing.

"Butts, huh? Sounds like him. I wish he'd settle down, though. I don't like seeing a sweet guy like him going it alone."

"He said he had that once before, and the divorce was messy. His ex was such a bitch, and she won't even let him see the kids except on their birthdays." Zeb shook his head. "He doesn't want to go through that again. That's why he and Tyroin are enjoying a long distance relationship. A... Well, to me it seems more like a friends-with-benefits situation." He shrugged. "I don't know. Only met the guy once or twice."

"Poor guy." Jade sighed and shook her head. "So how's the tour been?"

"Fairly good. Trixie, again, dominated her opening act. I think Ted's jealous that she's becoming more popular than him! Haha!"

"What about your Aunt and Uncle? Are they coming for the holidays or are they staying in Scotland with your brother, Blaine?"

"Staying in Scotland, I believe. I got them last year, so Blaine gets them this year. Next year all of us will be together with Méngméng's family, too, in Scotland. They've already sent presents for the youngsters, though. Méngméng already sent off the cards and presents, right, honey?"

"Of course, I'm not completely daft," the she-panda laughed, leaning against him. "And to your brother. It was so nice of him to go back to Scotland to help out on the farm so you could stay here and love me."

"Good girl," he teased, kissing her forehead and nuzzling her lovingly.

Fēnglì, meanwhile, went over to Beary, a questioning look upon his face. "Where's Jewel gone off to? I haven't seen her in a while. Not since she went after you earlier."

Beary frowned, ears flattening. She hadn't been in his house when he had left, had she? "Maybe... Maybe she went to see if I was at the Barringtons? Is her car still here?" He glanced at the parking lot and frowned. "No... I wonder if she tried to follow me and went the wrong way? I'm gonna head into town. You wanna come?"

"And get away from the hug fest? Oh, thank you. _Mǔqīn_ , I'm heading out with Beary! We're going into town!" Fēnglì called, climbing into the car with his friend.

"Drive safe!" Méngméng responded with a wave.

"We will!"

 _.~*~._

"So, Ted, this is where you've been hiding," Jade growled as she stepped into his workshop. She'd left Aiden with the others, not wanting him to see his parents fighting. She had made sure her father, brother, and mother had not followed, not wanting them to get into it with Ted.

Ted Bedderhead sighed and put his carving tools down on his workbench. He pulled off his reading glasses and glanced over at her somberly. "Yes, I've been waitin' here for you. I knew you'd come, Jade. I also knew your family was coming to spend the holidays here, and I knew that you didn't want them to rip me to shreds."

"As much as I'd like them to rip you to shreds for your disloyalty, I did not want Aiden to grow up without a father." Jade sat down on a finished rocking chair and ran her fingers over the wood, noting the quality. "Why'd you do it, Ted?"

"Do what? That kiss? Honey, I've told you, that was not my fault. She broke through the barricade at the meet-and-greet and kissed me. I didn't want it and I pushed her away as soon as I realized what was happening. Turns out she was paid to do it so the tabloids would get a juicy story. Ask the boys and Trixie; they'll tell you the same thing. When I saw the picture printed in the tabloids the next day, I was furious! As soon as I found out, I tried calling you, but you weren't answering."

"And the fact that you didn't mention it the night before when we spoke says loads, Theodore," Jade growled. "I can't believe I trusted you. What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I didn't think mentionin' it and upsettin' you wasn't worth it! I realize I should have said somethin', but by then the damage had been done and you weren't talkin' to me other than yellin'." Ted sighed and shook his head, folding his glasses and putting them in the pocket of his plaid shirt. "I didn't mean for things to happen the way they did, and if I could change it, I would. You gotta believe me, Jade. I love you."

"Then why didn't you come back from the tour and explain it?"

"Tours aren't just drivin' from location to location, honey. There is a lot of work involved, like press conferences, radio announcements, and photo shoots, the whole shebang. Also, there's the fact that if I did come back, what would it say about you? People are already sayin' nasty things about you because you left me. They're sayin' that I'm a player, and that you gave up too easily. That you only wanted me for my money. I tried to dissuade as much as possible, tellin' them that it was all a misunderstandin' and explainin' what really happened, but I see now that it wasn't enough."

Jade bit her lip and studied her mate, noticing for the first time that he'd stopped dying his fur, letting his hair and snout go gray. It was rather becoming of him, she had to be honest. His expression, normally so sure of himself, was downcast and his eyes held loneliness and sorrow. He had bags under his eyes, and he didn't wear his trademark purple John Lennon sunglasses; she didn't even see them anywhere near him. She knew he wasn't lying, but she had been so hurt by what had happened. She was aware that her mind had jumped to conclusions. "Ted... I don't know... I believe you, but right now... Things are very questionable. I love you, too, jackass, but I need time to think it over, all right? I don't want to rush into this."

Ted nodded, lowering his gaze for a bit before raising it again. "How's Aiden doin'?"

"Your mini-me doing well. He misses you, of course, and hugs that stupid plushy version of you all the time. Won't even go to bed without it. I made sure to play some of your songs for him so he'll go to sleep. It's hard for him to understand that you have to go away for long periods of time, and with what happened... I never involved him. I made sure he never knew about any of this. I didn't want his love for you to dwindle, Teddy." Jade approached him, holding out a paw to his cheek, gently stroking it. "You've grown old these past few months."

"Out of worry of losing my family. You and Aiden. I couldn't stand it if I lost you because of some stupid kiss." He leaned against her paw and sighed, breathing in her scent and he pushed his nose against her wrist fur.

"Don't be getting all friendly," she warned, voice wavering, yet she didn't pull away from him. "Helen said Aiden and I are staying here with you, since there's not enough room in the guest cabin, as my parents and brother are staying there. Aiden and I will stay in the spare room. I'm not ready to get in bed with you again."

"I understand. I'll spruce up the room for you and put fresh sheets on the bed for you. Aiden's toddler bed is still in there, and I'll make sure it's clean for him." Ted got up to do just that, and Jade backed away with a sigh.

"All right. I'll go make sure Dad or Jesse don't murder you."

"That would be nice, yeah." Ted chuckled a little before disappearing through the door leading to his cabin.

Jade watched him quietly before turning and leaving, heading back to the _Hall_.

 _.~*A Holiday to Remember*~._

Henry sighed as he hobbled down the lane, ears flat and cheeks moist from tears. He had thrown on a scarf, but not much else, preferring to shiver in the cool winds rather stay any longer in his house.

He had cleaned up what he could of the damaged fish tank and a few broken ornaments, and put the pebbles in a bag, broken ornaments in the trash, and mopped up the mess. He threw away the tank – but kept the lid and lights – before taking off on his walk, bypassing a very confused and upset Helen who didn't understand what was going on, and brushing off Lyra Hymn. He had simply grabbed his green scarf and left.

He could see the multiple cars the parking lot to the side of the _Hall_ , and knew who each belonged to. Falcos, Barringtons, Jade, and a rental car that could only belong to his two eldest children and their families. Jewel and Beary's vehicles were just pulling in as well.

He glanced away and stopped walking, pausing to sit on a log and catch his breath. He looked down at his paw, noting the trembling as his fingers wrapped around the head of the cane. How could he have lost his temper like that? He had almost hit his child, and had broken his fish tank and killed his fish. Yes, it had been an accident, and the cat had been the one to kill and eat the fish, but still! The point was that he'd lost his temper. What if it happened again? What if he actually hurt someone and not a fish? He didn't want there to be a next time. He really didn't.

Would Beary tell? He had every right to do so. What if he told Helen? She'd be so disappointed in him, not that she wasn't already, considering what Beary had said. Had Helen really nearly miscarried because of how much stress she was under because he hadn't believed her and come back for Lyra's pregnancy? Almost abandoned their daughter because of him? If Beary hadn't been there, how would things have been different? Did Beary really hate him like it seemed? Or was he just angry and saying nonsense?

Yet, Beary was right. Henry was busy a lot. He was a workaholic. What else could he do; the work kept his demons at bay. His nightmares about the war. When the band had switched managers, Henry had acted very poorly to his family. Mocked Trista's school projects, didn't play with Jacob, and barely touched Helen in a romantic way. He suffered from terrible nightmares and sometimes went days without sleep, making him quite irritable. Things improved after the band came back to him, though, and the dark days were past. That is, until the band finally broke up, just around the time Beary had been conceived.

That pregnancy, too, Henry had suddenly found himself unhappy about. Thinking back, Henry realized how angry he had been. How he'd felt that the pregnancy had been a bad omen. New life while his sanctuary died. He had even wanted Helen to miscarry – though as soon as the thought had entered his mind, he'd dismissed it, remembering when Helen had miscarried before and how miserable she had been.

And then, when Beary had been born so small and sickly... It had angered Henry further. They ran out of money fast because of high medical bills at the birth, and then the doctor visits and medications later. Plus, Beary crying so much because of his sickness and fevers was enough to drive the already irritable father crazy. He started pulling away, not wanting anything to do with him. He wouldn't help comfort him, wouldn't play with him, and pushed him away. He was angry, at that time, and he didn't know why.

And then, that fateful night... He'd once more refused to deal with the three-year-old, despite Helen begging him to. He and her got into a verbal argument, and she finally stormed out with the keys and Beary.

The next day, Henry found out about the crash. His whole life changed in an instant. His wife was gravely injured and spent the next seven years in a coma. His three-year-old son vanished. At that time, he had had no idea that Beary had been thrown in a river by the human that had run his wife off the road.

He spent the next several years absentminded, alone, and by pushing away his son, daughter, and brother-in-law. It was only during the seventh year, when Reed started hounding him, that he began to come back. The prospect of losing his home was agonizing, but what could he have done? Until Beary miraculously arrived that day, Henry had been ready to give up on everything. Then everything started happening all at once. He got the band back together, his wife woke up, and everything had gone back the way it had been before. He treated Beary the way he should have to begin with.

So what changed all of the sudden? Why today had he acted up and gone crazy? Would it happen again? He didn't know, and he was scared to find out. What if he hurt Lyra? His blind daughter, so sweet and sensitive, yet as curious as a cat. Always eager to learn or to show off what she'd learned that day. She loved animals and flowers, and enjoyed going on walks in places with many scents.

He didn't deserve her. He didn't deserve any of his children. They were too good for someone like him. Too precious. Too much like their mother – so he hoped. He prayed that none of them would end up like he had.

Fresh tears sprang to his eyes as he wondered if he really had any right to call himself a father.

* * *

 **Please review, as I want to know what you all think! Thanks for reading! See ya next time!**


	4. Part Four - The Tree Farm

A Holiday to Remember Part Four – The Tree Farm Fenix Rouse

Part Four – The Tree Farm

That evening, everyone had had a grand dinner together, talking about plans for the holidays, such as sledding adventures they would have after the blizzard hopefully covered the grounds in white. They spoke of the fireworks show in Nashville on New Year's, and family activities planned around their small town. They also talked about the upcoming charity concert being held in Nashville on the twenty-seventh, with a few other bands, including _Celaya_ , the band formed by Cady Swineburne and Jennifer Paige. Only Henry stayed silent, earning a few odd stares from questioning adults. Beary remained mostly to himself, but spoke when spoken to.

The next morning (12/23), everyone boarded either the bus [where the band (including Ted), Henry, Helen, and the Barringtons, and Roadie were] a large white group van [all the cubs with Zeb and Méngméng supervising], a second large white van [where the Falcos, Jacob, Rachel, and the Rowans were], or in Jewel's car [where Beary and Fēnglì were traveling]. The convoy drove nearly two hours to their favorite private tree farm, _Riverview Tree Farm_ , northeast of Nashville, TN. Just outside of Nashville, Dex and Roxi were picked up and placed on the bus – the presents they brought were put in the storage compartments below the bus, along with their suitcases. The Stones, too, joined the convoy, but stayed in their own vehicle, as they were taking their tree home to Nashville.

They got to the snow-covered tree farm just in time for it to open, and were thankful to not see another car in sight, as they had requested a private reservation as they did not want their families [especially their children] to be hounded by fans or paparazzi. It was one reason why _Riverview_ was popular among celebrities in Tennessee. _Riverview_ didn't just sell choose-and-cut trees, but wreaths, pine garland, and other festive items. And for every tree cut, two were planted in its place.

As the bus turned down the drive to the farm, excitement grew, but not among the young cubs, whom had all fallen asleep in their seats, much to Zeb and Méngméng's amusement, who had used the blessed silence to talk about the pregnancy and plans for the larger nursery that was being added to their three-bedroom cabin.

"Sawyer and Nolan are happy sharing their bedroom – at least for now, but when they get older they'll need their own rooms, Alec," Méngméng stated as she glanced back at her darling twins asleep in their booster seats.

Zeb nodded. "I know, baby. We'll get it sorted out. After this tour, we'll draw up plans for a couple additional bedrooms. Perhaps add on a second floor? That might work out."

"I agree. A second floor would be nice, and while it's being built, we can stay at the Taylors in the larger guest bedroom, while Fēnglì stays in the lower guest bedroom so he can have some privacy. Once the flooring of the second story is done, then we can move back into the cabin, right?"

"Mhm. That's my plan, anyway. I'll get with Fred and we'll figure something out. Tennessee and Trixie might be building up their home, too. They don't know for sure yet. Ted and Jade? Who knows with them." Zeb shook his head. "I hope they can work things out."

"I'm sure they will. Jade's a hothead, but she's no fool. Especially since she has a child."

Zeb nodded again, slowing down and braking as the convoy came to the gate leading to the tree farm. He watched as Roadie leaned out of the bus driver window and pressed a few buttons – an entry code – and the gate open. One by one, all entered through the gate and down the winding path.

Méngméng spoke to her children, waking them up and telling them that they had arrived. Sawyer and Nolan's excitement got the other cubs awake, and soon the van was filled with chattering cubs.

Zeb groaned and shook his head, wishing that the silence had stayed, and parked alongside the others in the parking lot. He waited until all cars were parked and off before unlocking the doors and getting out. "Méngméng, do you need any help getting out? There's snow on the ground here, so there might be ice, since it started to snow again a little bit ago."

She smiled and nodded, and he hurried around the front of the van, unaware that there was a bit of a hill, and slipped down the slope, smacking his arm on the front of the vehicle, and ending up covered in snow with his floppy hat crushed beneath him. If that wasn't enough, there was loud laughter from everyone that had seen what had happened to the striped fiddler.

" _Bàba, nǐ méishì ba?_ " Fēnglì called, laughing as he slid down to help his father back up and brushed him off.

"I'm fine, Fēnglì," Zeb responded, embarrassed. He put his hat back on his head and groaned as snow that had gotten caught inside dumped onto his head, earning another bout of laughter from the group.

The striped silver panda chuckled and helped his father up to level ground, digging his toe claws into the ground for grip. Once up on the actual lot, Fēnglì went to let his siblings out of the car and take them into the building restrooms.

Méngméng, once her husband was in front of her, cradled his face and kissed his lips. " _Nǐ shì yīgè kě'ài de shǎguā, wǒ de ài._ "

"Yes, I'm an adorable fool. I know." He kissed her back and smiled before helping her out of the car. After she shut the door, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, pressed his face against her cheek, and felt for his unborn cubs, though he couldn't feel them through her jacket very well. He stood there as everyone got their own cub(s) from the van, taking them inside to use the restroom. Beary took Lyra, while his parents stood side-by-side against the bus, not talking.

Helen was deep in thought about the previous night's events, when her husband had awoken in the middle of the night from a terrible nightmare that had left him crying and shaking, whispering that he didn't want to kill him. Who was the "he" her husband had been crying about? She had tried to comfort him by turning around and holding him, but he had gotten up to pace around their room, mumbling. While she had seen that sort of behavior in him before, it had been quite a long time since it'd happened. Years.

Helen had then sat herself up, dangling her legs unsteadily off the bed, and spoke to him, asking what was wrong, but he'd ignored her, as if he couldn't hear her voice and was trapped in some far-off memory. So she had gotten up and moved over to him, shuffling her legs carefully in the dark as she hadn't wanted to trip over anything, and suddenly felt his paws on her. The next thing she had known, she was on the floor bleeding from a cut to the head and Henry was hovering over, visibly frightened as he held a cloth to her head.

Helen knew Henry had pushed her, but what still confused her to that very moment they were standing side by side looking over at the snow covered tree farm was whether or not he meant to do it.

When everyone had returned, and tools were brought, the large group began their trek through the rows of trees. The young ones raced ahead, pouncing on each other and throwing snowballs back at the group of older bears. Fēnglì joined them eagerly, and Jewel was about to do the same when she realized Beary was hanging back, walking with Lyra and her service dog, but also staying away from the other group of bears and his human family.

"What's going on? Are you okay? You've been quiet this entire trip. Not even Fēnglì could get you to talk. What's up?" she asked, reaching out and grabbing his paw.

"Nothing. I'm fine. Really. Just have a lot on my mind, that's all. Didn't get much sleep last night." Beary bit his lip, thinking back to the crash he had heard from downstairs the night before but had been too afraid to check out. He had noticed, however, the next morning that his mother had a cut just below her ear that had scabbed over and his father staying away from her and not speaking to anyone. He didn't know if his brother or sister had noticed the change in their parents or not; if they had, they kept the information to themselves.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She squeezed his paw, staring over at him.

"No, not really. Sorry, Jewel. I just... Hey, why are you holding my paw?" He raised an eyebrow and blinked.

"Oh, uh... I thought you needed some comfort so I thought it might... comfort you?" She laughed nervously and pulled away.

"I didn't say I didn't like it, you know," he murmured, glancing at her as he held out his paw to her again.

Her eyes lit up and she eagerly put her paw back. "Do you really like that?"

"Yeah... I mean, not in a romantic way. We're friends, and friends can hold paws, right?"

Her ear twitched slightly and she nodded with a silent sigh. "Yeah, friends can hold paws. Right." She squeezed his paw and smiled when he squeezed back finally. "Why don't you release Lyra to go catch up with the others? I'm sure Akela can handle taking her to the others just fine."

"Yeah, you're right." He turned to his sister and her brown male husky, named for a wolf in Lyra's favorite night story "The Jungle Book". "Akela, Lyra, go on ahead to the other cubs."

Lyra started yelling with excitement as she started running, narrowly avoiding running into a tree, but was thankfully guided by Akela, who took her on ahead to join the other cubs, leaving just the two teenagers to walk on their own between the two groups.

Beary adjusted his scarf a little and glanced at Jewel out of the corner of his eye, noting how beautiful she looked in her green jacket, black scarf, and green earmuffs. The way the snow fell on her head and she looked up at the sky with her mouth open, trying to catch snow on her tongue sent his heart a flutter. She was so beautiful and he wanted to kiss her but was too afraid to. His mind was confused and upset. He wanted to ask her out, yes, but at the same time he was afraid. Not of rejection, but of a possible break-up that would ruin their friendship. She was the only constant in his life. His only rock and anchor. He didn't know what to do. "Jewel, you're so..." He leaned close to her.

Jewel turned to look at him at the same moment and accidentally kissed him right on the lips.

"Whoo! Get some!" someone shouted from behind as they backed away from each other, shocked. The yelling continued when Jewel grabbed Beary and pulled him back in for a kiss, but died out when he pushed her back and walked away, paws in his pockets. Jewel, meanwhile, held her arms and continued her walk through the trees alone.

"Did... Did he just lead her on by holding paws, go to kiss her, and then push her away when she kissed him back?" Zeb asked, surprised. That didn't sound like something Beary would do, yet he had.

"It looked like he went to tell her something and she turned her head and accidentally kissed him," Trixie replied softly. "And then she misread his intentions and kissed him again." She glanced at her husband a moment before grabbing her younger sister's arm and hurrying over to their "shared daughter".

Tennessee, meanwhile, was ready to murder Beary for breaking his daughter's heart. Well, maybe not murder, but give him a firm talking to.

"Trixie's probably right. Beary's not a jerk," Fred spoke up, putting a paw on Tennessee's shoulder.

"Besides, he likes her," Jacob laughed. "She probably scared him. She is a fairly scary she-bear, after all. Just like her mother."

Trista nodded with agreement. "That's very true." She glanced over at her parents, surprised they weren't saying anything.

"T-They were sl-sleeping t-together e-ear-earlier," Helen spoke up finally and immediately wished she hadn't as she was met with a barrage of questions. Her ears flattened as she looked confused at all the voices.

"Leave her be," Henry growled, eyes narrow. "You all know better than to overwhelm her like that. Besides, you knew yesterday that they were together. Méngméng told you so, as I'm told."

"Rawr. Can't we be curious?" Zeb questioned.

Méngméng shook her head. "Boys, boys, behave. Leave those poor teenagers alone. They're awkward enough."

Jade laughed and nodded in agreement. She glanced at Ted for a moment but looked away the moment she realized he was staring back. She then noticed her father's angry eyes upon her mate and sighed. "Daddy, don't murder him. We're working things out."

Raymond Falco "hmphed" and walked to the other side of the group with his wife, who laughed at him.

Jade's brother, meanwhile, pounced on her, lifting her up from behind. "Gonna throw you down the hill and use you as a sled!" he cried, holding her as he ran.

"Ack! Jesse, put me down!" she screeched, letting out a whump as he did indeed throw her down a nearby small slope into a pile of snow. "I'm going to kill you!" She got up, shook herself, and chased after her brother, who had taken off on all fours.

Ted blinked a few times, surprised to see this. Usually Jade was so serious, unless in private. To see her like this was surprising to him. That, of course, didn't stop the smile from forming on his face.

Ray groaned and shook his head. "Damn cubs."

Cassandra laughed and leaned against her tall husband lovingly. "Ah, but they're our cubs, Sunshine."

"Unfortunately." His smile, however, revealed he wasn't being serious. His eyes twinkled as he watched his two "adult" cubs romping around in the snow.

Ted glanced over at him curiously, but didn't say a word. He didn't want to set off a bomb. Instead, he looked over at Dex, watching as he walked away from the group. "Where's he off to?"

"Gonna go talk to Beary," Zeb answered.

"Well, I suppose it's better that he do it rather than Tennessee." Ted shook his head. "I hope this can all be sorted out."

"Don't we all?" Fred asked, walking up to his brother and putting an arm over his shoulder. "Ya know... I could use a sled as well."

"NO!" Ted took off and Fred gave chase, leaving the others in shock and loud laughter.

Zeb groaned. "Man, if you weren't pregnant, we'd be doing the same thing!" he complained.

"Oh, like it's all my fault?" Méngméng shot him a glare. "I didn't see you complaining at the time of conceiving, Alec. In fact, you were squealing my name and trying to free yourself from the fuzzy cuffs."

Zeb sputtered and covered her mouth with his paw as he stood behind her. "Hush, ye evil woman!" he cried, looking around wildly and groaning when he realized everyone had turned their attention to him. "Um... Oh, like none of you have tried it!"

"Can't say we have," Henry laughed, coming out of his shell a little. The other couples shook their heads, except for James.

"We have, and it was delightful," James teased. "Don't tell Tasha I said that, though. She'll be fairly annoyed."

"Gah! Méngméng, don't lick me!" Zeb pulled his paw away, grossed out.

"Really? _That_ grosses you out?" Méngméng turned around to face him, a skeptic expression on her face. "What about that time you stuck your tongue in my ear and licked my earwax?"

There was a chorus of "ews!" following her statement.

"I never did that!"

"You were fairly tired that night and for some reason thought that was my mouth," she laughed.

"Ew, ew, ew! Gross! No!"

She reached up and patted his head. "You poor thing." She snatched his hat right off his head and placed it on her own before walking off.

Zeb stared off at her, and Tennessee came to a halt beside his taller friend. "Did you really lick her earwax? Was that with the fluffy cuffs or not?"

"Shut up." Zeb hurried past him, fully aware the brown black bear was laughing at him.

Trista, Jacob, Rachel, and Kavik all laughed as well.

"I've missed being around you guys. You're all so goofy," Trista giggled. "Inappropriate, too."

"Amen to that," Jacob snorted. "Doing things we wouldn't dare."

Rachel leaned against her husband and rolled her eyes. "Here, you carry Owen." She passed the babe to him and kissed his cheek. "He wanted his daddy."

Jacob smiled and looked down at his little cub. "Such a cute little guy." He kissed his nose and beamed when Owen cooed.

Kavik laughed and put his arm around his wife's waist. "I wish we could go sledding, but I don't dare risk the little one."

"One? Kai, I told you, it's triplets."

"Oh, right. Triplets. Trip...lets..." Kavik gasped. "I'm not ready for triplets!"

"Oh, here we go." Trista laughed a little and pulled his face towards her. "You are ready, honey. Or at least you better be. Aspen will help you out, so don't worry, and I'll be there, too. One cub for each of us."

"Yeah... Yeah, that sounds like a plan." He kissed her lips and smiled. "This is why you're the smart one."

She laughed and hugged him. "Oh, I know. I'm the brains, you're the brawn, my lovely lumberjack."

"My beautiful veterinarian." He nuzzled her lovingly.

"Blech, bear love," Roxi teased. She glanced over at Allison and Norbert, smiling at the amused expressions on their faces. She looked past them towards her father, who was laughing. "See a lot of that between Tennessee and Trixie on the bus, Dad?"

"Of course. Those two are way too lovey-dovey," the long-haired man laughed.

"We are not, Roadie!" Tennessee argued, and the duo had a little playful spat, leaving Roxi to glance in the direction that her boyfriend had gone.

 _.~*~._

"Okay, spill. What's going on, Beary?" twenty-one-year-old Dexter Barrington asked, confused as he caught up with his brother. At twenty-one, Dex had settled into his full height of 5'11" – Beary was taller than him by an inch so far – and had matured. He kept his spiky hair, though currently had it highlighted with some blue as well as regular highlights. "What's up with you and Jewel?"

"I... She kissed me. It wasn't a playful kiss like she used to do..." Beary muttered, ears flat.

"So? Bro, she _likes_ you. And you like her. I know you do."

"It's not that easy. I thought it was, Dex, but it's not!"

"How is it not easy? You're both into each other!"

"Because she's my constant!" Beary stopped walking, trembling. He folded his arms across his chest. "She's the only thing in my life that hasn't changed... She's always been there. Every nightmare I've had, she was ready to listen, even if I had woken her up. I could always talk to her about anything! She's my best friend, and now things are awkward between us!"

Dex stared at his brother, astonished. "I guess I keep forgetting that your life isn't constant. First you're living with Henry and Helen, then all of the sudden a madman throws you in a river and you're in the woods for a month, somehow surviving, and then you're with us for the next seven, eight years, before going back to your father. I guess you're right. Jewel is the only part of your life that's been the same."

"That's what I just said! Weren't you listening, you butt?"

Dex scowled and punched his arm. "I was reiterating, doofus."

"For who?!"

"Those who may be listening," he teased, glancing up towards the sky.

"Yeah, like we have some random people listening and watching whatever we do. This isn't a story, Dex."

"You're right. If this was a story, you and Jewel would be together by now."

Beary groaned and pushed his brother into a snow-covered tree, laughing as the upper branches dropped snow on top of him. "Oops."

"Yeah, oops!" Dex got up, brushing himself off. "Get over here!"

Beary, however, didn't feel like running around. His turned his head over to where Jewel was talking to her mother and aunt. When she turned to look his way, he quickly looked away.

Noticing this, Dex lowered his arm. "You need to talk to her. Explain things. Leaving things the way they are makes it awkward, Beary. Simple as that."

"But what if we get together but break up?! A lot of friendships are ruined that way, you know. I... I'm scared of that happening to us."

"Or it might enhance your friendship, Beary. What if you say no now, and alter a major timeline? What if the two of you were supposed to get together, get married, and have a ton of babies down the line?"

"Ew! Babies?! You're talking about us having..." His eyes widened.

Dex started laughing. "Don't pretend you haven't thought about it. It's quite fun."

"You and Roxi?"

"No, me and AJ. Yes, Roxi, you doofus!" Dex laughed. "You didn't think we'd stay inactive, did you? No, I know she's the one. That's what I've gotten her a ring for Christmas."

"A ring? That's nice."

Dex stared at his bear brother incredulously. "Uh, Beary. I'm proposing."

"Wait, what?" Beary looked over at him in surprise. "You are?!"

"Yes! Hence the ring!"

"Oh, well, congrats!"

"Don't congratulate me until she says 'yes', Beary. There's still the possibility that she'll say no."

"Yeah, but I doubt it. You guys have been together for, what, six years now?"

"Just about, yeah. And we're both graduating from the University in May, too, so that'll help."

"You do a diamond?"

"Nah, those are too mainstream. We both like _Supernatural_ , so I thought of a _Supernatural_ themed ring. Black band with a red ruby. Well, synthetic ruby. Can't afford a real one." He smiled. "I hope she'll like it."

"I'm sure she will, even if it's not real. Though, considering I'm the one with the Winchester Impala..."

"That's because you've got a rich grandfather who gave it to you for your birthday."

"He gave me one to work on for my fifteenth, Dex, and I fixed it up to the best of my abilities. Still has problems, though, but I'll figure it out."

"You usually do," his brother responded with a smile. "Except for this one between you and Jewel."

Beary sighed. "I know I need to talk to her, but what do I say? 'Hey, Jewel, I like you a lot, and I'm sorry for freaking out? I got hella issues and I see you as a rock instead of as a potential lover, so please don't hate me'?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Dex! No, that's nowhere near simple!"

"Sounds simple to me," he laughed. "Beary, just go talk to her, okay?"

"But, Dex..." Beary sighed, flattening his ears. "Well... I guess I could. But she'll hit me with a rock or something for what I did."

"A rock? Beary, you're ridiculous. Go talk to her before I tell her how lame you are." Dex got right behind him and began pushing, steering him in the direction of the golden teenager.

"Dex, come on! Everyone's watching! Bro, this isn't cool! No!" Beary shook his head, but didn't move away from his brother. He did want to be made to talk to Jewel. He wanted to fix things between them, but he was still afraid. What if she rejected him?

Looking towards her, he gulped when he found himself in front of her with Trixie and Tasha fixing him harsh glares.

Jewel looked at him in confusion. "Beary?"

Beary leaned back against Dex, letting out a startled cry when he disappeared from behind him and Beary fell on his butt, looking up at her.

Jewel looked back for a moment. "Mom, Aunt Tasha, can we get some time alone? I think we need to talk."

Trixie and Tasha nodded, leaving quietly, and Dex hurried behind them.

Beary watched them go and gulped again before looking at his friend. "I, um, I think we need to talk."

"I think you talked enough, so it's my turn to talk and you to listen." Jewel grabbed his paw and hauled him to his feet. "Away from the nosey adults, though." She released his paw and walked off.

Beary, not know what else to do, followed her for a good ten minutes before she finally stopped in a spot where he couldn't even see or hear the others. Was she going to eat him?! "Jewel, I..."

Turning, she put a finger on his lips. "No, Beary. It's my turn to talk. Please just shut up and listen." She took a deep breath. "Beary, I've liked you for a long time. And I don't just mean as a friend or a brother-from-another-mother type thing. Hell, I'm fairly certain I love you, and I doubt that's going to change, even if you tell me to get lost and that you just want to remain friends. You see, I've imagined a life together for us, as silly as that sounds. I just sound like another stupid girl having daydreams about a cute boy. But this isn't that, because you aren't just some cute boy; you're Beary, the strangest bear I know. Full of life and love for those you let into your heart.

"There's so many things I like, no, love about you. Your sense of style, your kind nature, your past, everything that defines you and makes you who you are. You're different from other bears; always have been. It's what drew me to you in the first place back in kindergarten. You wouldn't rough and tumble, you wouldn't climb trees. You were a major oddball and freak. Just like me. I didn't fit in, either, because I was the daughter of a famous mother and my fur was gold while everyone else had brown, black, or sometimes white. You and I have always been two peas in a pod, Beary, and I wish to continue that way, with or without your love."

She closed her eyes. "So which do you want to be? Friends or lovers?"

He was silent, mulling things over. "I have something to say, too, so it's my turn to talk and yours to listen. Ever since we met, you've been there for me. From almost every scrape, broken bone, and crazy stunt you wrangled me into, you've been there. From the running away we did, to you helping me find out my purpose and my birth family, you've been there through the changes and awkward stages – sometimes making them more awkward. You were there when I met my birth siblings. You were there when Lyra was born and Papa was absent. You've been there for me for every step of my new life as a Taylor, and to see my life as a Barrington through to the end.

"You've done so much for me that I'm scared of ever losing you. I'm scared of being in a romantic relationship with you for fear that if we should break up, you'll leave me as a lover and a friend. I would lose you forever, and that has me more scared than anything in my life."

"More scared than having a gun pointed at your head?" Jewel questioned softly.

"Exactly. And... And my nightmares, you've always been there to either help me wake from them or to talk about them, even when I don't want to. You're my confidant, my rock, my constant. I want to be with you, but I'm... I'm afraid of the future."

Jewel smiled softly and slipped her paw into his. "Then we'll face the future together, Beary. No matter how this goes on from today on out, I will be there for you. I promise."

He looked down at her, fixated on her eyes. "And I'll try my best to not freak out and have anxiety attacks about... this." He smiled. "Do you want to know what I was trying to say earlier when you accidentally kissed me?"

"I'm dying to know."

"I was trying to tell you that you're beautiful, Jewel. More beautiful than the snow falling around us, more beautiful than a sunrise or sunset. The most beautiful creature I have had the honor of knowing."

Jewel blushed and smiled. "So you're a romantic."

"I try," he teased. "But, seriously, can we start over? If... If you're willing to put up with my insecurities, then I'm willing to put up with your – Oi! No grabbing the buttocks!"

"Aw, but Beary!" Jewel laughed and pulled her paw away.

"C'mere, you," he growled, pulling her close and nuzzling her. "Such a troublemaker."

Purring, she tucked her head under his chin and smiled happily. She was proud to have worked things out between them and to have gotten her thoughts off her chest. To learn that he had simply panicked and it wasn't because he didn't like her lifted a load off her heart as well. She was glad that things hadn't become that typical cliché mess where both would be worrying for days on what the other had said. Now they could move on with their lives. Perhaps not kiss yet, but she'd catch him under a mistletoe.

"Should we go rejoin the others?"

She shook her head. "I just want to spend some time with you, Beary. Just you."

He laughed. "We'll have to rejoin them eventually, you know."

"Oh, I know, but I want to be with my boyfriend."

He blinked. "Boyfriend? Huh. Well, that means you're my g-gir-grfried."

"Grfried? Speak much?"

"Now, I mean, no, I mean yes! I speak! Gah!"

Jewel laughed. "Girlfriend, Beary. C'mon, say 'girlfriend'."

"Friend that is girl!"

"Beary!"

"Fiiiine. Girl... friend. Gurlfriend. Girlfriend!"

Giggling, she rubbed her nose under his chin teasingly. "You're such a dork."

His nose twitched and trembled. "Don't tease! Gah! That tickles!"

"Good," she whispered, letting him hold her for a few minutes, content to finally be his. "Hey, Beary?"

"Hm?" He sniffed her hair after pulling off her hat, and smiled at the scent of apple cinnamon.

"What do you think of this tree we're under?"

"Huh? Oh, uh..." He looked up, studying the large beast of a pine tree, branches gently sloping because of the snow piling on top. It was at least sixteen feet tall, if not taller, and the sun reflected off of it just enough that it sparkled and shimmered magnificently. "Beautiful."

"I think we might have found the perfect tree for the _Hall_. What do you think?"

"I think you're right." He gave her a playful lick before crouching down. "Let's go get the others! C'mon, I'll give you a piggyback ride!"

She grinned and hopped onto his back. "Oh, wait, hold on." She placed her hat on one of the branches so they would recognize their special tree – not that they wouldn't anyway, because all the trees around it were less than ten feet in height.

Beary stood up, paws under her knees, and supported her. "Let me know when you spot them, Jewel."

"Of course. Although, having you all to myself right now is very tempting." She gave his ear a playful nibble and rested her chin on his head, content.

13


	5. Part Five - Hot Chocolate and Eggnog

**CB does not belong to me [though I wish it did], which is why I write on here instead of publishing my stories in book form.**

 **So sit back and enjoy reading "A Holiday to Remember". Next posting is Sunday!**

* * *

 **Part Five – Hot Cocoa and Eggnog**

"Ya know, you two, this really is the best tree. Not extremely tall, but not too short, either. Surprised we could find one this height around here this close to the holidays," Ted grinned as he helped the other men strapping the tree carefully to the top of the bus. Thankfully it wasn't going to collapse the roof, though it was close. Any bigger and it probably would have. "How'd you find it, anyway?"

"Oh, when we were talking," Jewel responded, sparing a glance at Beary, who was on top of the bus, sorting out the straps with Fēnglì. They had decided not to say anything about their new relationship, opting to let the others think that they had merely worked things out, and for them to figure out the truth. A Christmas mystery, of sorts.

The females, meanwhile, were on the ground keeping the cubs in check while the little ones threw snowballs at each other and had some fun in the snow.

Allison shook her head as she helped Kristina with the snowball pile of her own, making sure she targeted Dex by the bus a few times – earning a playful roar in response from the annoyed adult. Both redheads smiled and laughed at the behavior of their fellow Barrington, while Norbert shook his head and ducked behind the bus before he was barraged with snow, too.

Jewel sat on a bench, looking up and watching Beary, a little annoyed that she hadn't been allowed up on top of the bus with him, but she did have a good view from where she sat.

"So, tell me, did you two make out?" Jade asked, plopping down beside her.

Jewel laughed and shook her head. "Nah, not yet. But I take it you figured out that we're together?"

"Of course. Unlike those dunderheads, I've known you two a lot longer. It's obvious." The black she-bear smiled and pulled Jewel close. "I'm glad you two are finally together. It's about damn time, actually."

"I know, right?"

"So what'd you two talk about?"

"That's going to remain private between us. Confidential," Jewel responded softly. "Please, leave it at that."

"Okay, okay. Keep your secrets. So why didn't you two tell the others that you're together now?"

"Eh, let them figure it out on their own if they can. We'll keep it to ourselves for now. They probably wouldn't understand." The golden teen fidgeted, messing with one of her bangles. "One of these days we'll have a real kiss. But what about his Christmas present?" She frowned a bit, wondering if he'd even like it.

"Whatcha getting him?"

"Well, I was thinking a kitten, but then I realized that Tabs is only about a year old. Then I thought about a new fish tank for his room, since his other one's broken, but I figured Henry would buy him a new one, since he's the one who broke it, so now I've decided on that fancy art kit. Over $150, and it includes a variety of markers, color pencils, chalks, erasers, pencils, an easel, a couple sketchpads, among other things. I bought it yesterday at our last stop – I was going to get it anyway, and was very glad when it finally came in after ordering it. Okay, and I'm picking up the male kitten tomorrow. A pretty white cat with a couple black paws. I've named him Blackpaw."

"Blackpaw? Why not Shadow? Or Tao? Black and white, right? So why not Tao, then?"

"Sure, Tao. Not bad. But we've been having a mouse problem, so Tao and Tabs are gonna be mousers."

"Good. Now then, what's this about Henry breaking the fish tank? When did that happen?"

"Last night. It was an accident. Beary won't tell me much about it." Jewel shrugged.

"He won't tell you? That doesn't sound like him." Jade frowned, not happy. "Jewel... Has Beary ever mentioned Henry getting angry with him?"

Jewel's eyes narrowed. "He was pissed off last night, I know that much. But that's because of what Lyra said."

"And the fish tank broke last night..." Jade was upset. Had Henry broken the fish tank on purpose? Had he meant to hit Beary, but moved at the last minute? Why and how had things gotten so bad between them? "What happened to the fish?"

"Tabitha ate it before Beary could grab it, from the sounds of it."

"Poor fish. I hope Tabs enjoyed her meal."

"Seems like she did, since they only found the skeleton. Beary's had that fish for years... He was understandably upset. But, he's decided that he wants a bigger tank anyway. At least 36 gallons. He's been saving up for it. Posted the information for it on the pin board in the kitchen. He was going to give his smaller tank to Lyra, though she can't see it. She liked the sound of the filter running, though, and the sound of the fish digging through the marbles to find any leftover food."

Jade smiled, thinking of the youngest Taylor – not counting the grandchildren. She turned her head and looked over at Lyra, who was being played with by Trista and Rachel, while Akela sat obediently beside them, making sure his mistress was cared for.

"Hey, Jewel! Get up here! We need your help!" Beary called, much to her delight.

Jade laughed. "Get going, ya dork."

Jewel hurried over, laughing when she was hoisted up by Fred and Zeb, and climbed over the tree to help Fēnglì and Beary finish strapping in the larger portion of the trees. "Honestly, you boys are hopeless."

"Aw, but you love us anyway, Jewel," Fēnglì responded with a smirk.

"Of course I do." Jewel gave Beary a wink and smiled at Fēnglì, who stared at them in surprise before grinning broadly. "Shh."

"It's about time," he whispered, glancing at Beary.

"Oh, shush." Beary stuck his tongue out at him. "We gotta get this done. Shh." He looked down off the bus. "Fred, we're ready for the strap!" Beary caught it as it was tossed up, while Jewel called for the second strap on the other side, while Fēnglì held the branches together. Working together, the trio got the strap through the buckle and tightened it to a perfect strength.

Checking the other buckles, they high fived and started to get down, falling back into the waiting arms of their family, before walking off to go to the bathroom and get into Jewel's vehicle as everyone loaded up.

"So, Jewel, have you given him the song you wrote him yet?"

"FĒNGLÌ!"

"Song?" Beary blinked and blushed. "You wrote me a song?"

"Damn it, Fēnglì." Jewel's face was heating up as she rested her head against the steering wheel. "I hate you."

"Aw, I know," the red-striped silver panda laughed. "And, you, Beary, have a song to show her, don't you?"

"Gah! Fēnglì!"

Jewel turned to look at Beary. "Really?"

"Mhm. He had me discreetly ask Ted about the song, wanting to know if it looked okay. Ted said it was great, by the way. He wanted to know who it was by, but I wouldn't tell him." Fēnglì grinned, loving the chaos he'd caused.

"Fēnglì?" Jewel asked, looking at her younger friend.

"Hm?"

"Get out," Beary growled. "Jewel and I need to talk, and you don't get to play referee."

"Aw, but you guys!"

"OUT!" they both roared, and Fēnglì got out quickly with a pout.

Beary moved up to the front and locked the doors. He glanced over at Jewel as she turned the ignition, started the car, and began backing out. "What, not gonna wait for them?"

"Nope. You and I are gonna go get a thing of cocoa and talk away from prying eyes."

"You and your cocoa," he laughed.

"Hey, you like cocoa, too, mister. Don't even give me that."

"Maybe I just like it because I like you." He blinked and started to laugh. "Well, I didn't have to fight down saying that anymore. Feels good."

"That's good. And you better not just like cocoa because you like me, mister! As complimentary as it is. Oi! Back that paw away from the CD player! Driver gets to pick the music!"

"Aw, but Jewel."

"Nope." Jewel grinned and pressed PLAY on the car CD player, grinning with the sounds of the _Backstreet Boys_ filled her car. She glanced at Beary for a moment and laughed as he moved his shoulders and danced a little to the music. "Now where do you want to go? _Starbucks_?"

"Nah, too expensive. How about _Jukebox_? They have great cocoa, and at a low cost," Beary suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan."

 _.~*~._

"So, tell me about this song you wrote for me," Jewel implored as they took their seats at a two-seater booth in a corner of the coffee shop. Both lightly blew on their cocoa, letting it cool slightly. The mugs were decorated with whipped cream and sprinkles, the cocoa mixed with a bit of milk in it to add in the flavor.

Beary flicked an ear. "I was about to ask you the same thing. Well... I did write you a song, Fēnglì wasn't just screwing around. I called it ' _I Promise You (With Everything I Am)_ '. Silly, I know, but... It's a love song."

"Aw, Beary..." She put a paw on his after reaching across the table. "Mine is ' _How Did I Fall in Love With You_ '. Fēnglì laughed at me for that."

"He is a jerk at times." He squeezed her paw gently, running his thumb over the soft fur. "So when do I get to see this song?"

"When I get to see yours," she teased, purring at his touch. She leaned down and sipped her cocoa through a straw, smiling at the taste. "Try your cocoa!"

He nodded and leaned forward a bit too far, making contact with the whipped cream that went up his nose. He pulled back, startled, while Jewel squealed with laughter at his cream-covered snout.

"Ah, man!"

"Here, let me fix it." Suddenly she was beside him, licking his nose and lips, cleaning him off.

His body went hot with embarrassment. "Jewel..."

"Tasty. And this way, you don't have any leftover bits in your fur!" She grinned at her brilliance and sat back down.

"Yes, but now everyone's staring." He gave a quick glance around.

"Let them stare. I don't care. I'm happy, and maybe some of it will rub off on them," she teased before sipping her cocoa. "Now then, are you going to try again?"

He grinned, content with just watching her. How happy she was, how her eyes lit up, and how her smile brightened the room. Bending down, this time paying more attention, he took a drink of his cocoa. Then another. "This is good!"

"See, I told you cocoa's best with all the yummy toppings!"

"All right, all right, and the chocolate straws were a nice touch, too." He laughed. "I think I prefer the whipped cream to marshmallows, to be honest."

"Oh, there are some marshmallows in there, too. Under the cream." She shook her head, watching him poke through the cream to try and get to the marshmallows. "You're such a dork! Just enjoy it and maybe I'll go get us some burgers, too."

"Sure, why not. Wanna go see a movie? They have enough people to set up the tree, and we aren't decorating it until tomorrow. I'll pay for the tickets and concessions."

"Aw, are you planning a make out session?"

"What? No! People who go to cinemas to make out are stupid. If you're going to pay such a high price, then watch the movie! If you want to make out, go to a make out spot on the cliff that all the kids know about." He crossed his arms grumpily.

She blinked. "I didn't realize you thought so passionately about something like that. Well then, movie it is. What are you wanting to see?"

"Well, I thought ' _The Tale of Despereaux_ ', perhaps?"

"You... really are a kid at heart. You know that, right?"

"You don't want to see it?"

"Not really, no. I was thinking more like... ' _Bolt_ '."

"The dog movie?"

"Yeah!"

He started to laugh. "I guess we're both cubs at heart, huh?"

"Indeed."

 _.~*A Holiday to Remember*~._

 _A few hours later..._

"Where are they? They've been gone a while," Tennessee mused, not at all happy with how his daughter had just taken off from the tree farm.

"Oh, Tennessee, calm down. They obviously needed to talk, and they wanted to do so privately," Trixie chastised.

"Or they're making out," Fēnglì piped out. "You know, now that they're together!"

All movement in the _Hall_ stopped, and several pairs of eyes focused in on the red-striped panda.

"Fēnglì?" Méngméng questioned. " _Nǐ wèishéme yào bǎoliú zhèxiē xìnxī jǐ zìjǐ?_ "

" _Yīnwèi wǒ xǐhuān zàochéng hǔnluàn, Mǔqīn._ "

"Confusion you have indeed caused by keeping this to yourself, little one," she scolded in English. "What a little troublemaker."

Fēnglì grinned and looked over at his twin siblings, barking at them in Chinese, sending them scurrying.

"Fēnglì!"

"What? I just told them to go cause trouble." He grinned and pulled out two folders from behind his back. "You know, Beary and Jewel have even written music for each other?"

"What? Let me see that," Zeb growled, grabbing the folders and looking in. One by one, each of the adults looked through the music.

Henry and Helen entered through the main doors, confused as to why everyone was gathered around something. Allison and Norbert shook their heads and made their way to the kitchen to start prepping for the dinner. As it was December 23rd, it was going to be a grand dinner, but nothing as big as tomorrow or the next day.

Helen hobbled to the group, confused. "What goin' on?" she asked slowly. When her eyes fell on the folders, she reached out for them. "Give."

Sheepishly, they were passed to her, and she held them against her chest. She turned to Fēnglì, eyes narrow. "How dare? They trust!"

He had the decency to look embarrassed. "Sorry, Mrs. Taylor. I just figured everyone should be on the same level about them."

"That up to Beary and Jewel!" she growled.

"Helen, calm down," Henry began. "Trista, Jacob, take your mother home to rest, please. Maybe take the other cubs, as I do believe it is nap time."

Trista and Jacob nodded, gathering up their own cubs, as well as directing the others to follow as they carefully led their mother out of the music hall.

Henry turned to the other adults, waiting until all the cubs were gone – except for Fēnglì, who did not take naps – and growled. "Seriously?"

"Oh, don't even start, Henry. You have no room to talk, either," Jade growled, thinking back to what Jewel had revealed.

"Jade, calm down. We were all at fault," Ted interrupted. He glanced over at Ray, who looked at Henry with an odd expression.

Henry was confused. What was Jade talking about? She didn't know about what had happened the previous night, did she?

"He knows what he's done, and if he doesn't cut the bullshit, I'll make sure everyone knows," she threatened.

Henry's eyes narrowed and he turned around, limping out. What the hell had Beary done?! Had he told them what had taken place?! He could feel his rage building up. How could his son do this to him? Tell people what happened between them?! Was he trying to sabotage his career? Their family? The holidays?!

He knew one thing for certain, and it was that Beary was going to get another talking to.

 _.~*~._

Jewel laughed again as she looked over at Beary after parking outside the _Hall_ and turned off the engine. "I still can't believe you got sucker punched!"

"That's what I get for doing a good deed," he complained playfully, referring to a fight he had been breaking up inside the movie theater. "A black, swollen eye."

"You could have pressed charges, ya know."

"It was an accident. He didn't mean to hit me, so why lay another charge on him when he's already going to have a bad day?" Beary shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal, though it hurts like hell. Do I look that bad?" He pulled away the bag of ice, and Jewel flinched. "That bad, huh? Great. I'm going to be beautiful for the holiday concert." He sighed.

"Don't be such a baby. The swelling should go down by then, and no one's gonna see the bruising because of your fur, you big baby." She flicked his nose with her finger.

"Ow! Jewel!" He put his spare paw up against it, returning the ice pack to his eye. "Rude."

"Nah. Come on, I think Fred said he was making eggnog for our dinner drink tonight!"

"Eggnog? Fred's eggnog is the best! As long as he remembers not to put some almond milk into it this year like last year." He shook his head, remembering the horrified Fred and the emergency trip to the hospital because Beary's throat had swollen shut.

"Yeah, that was certainly eventful. He's been extremely careful with you ever since. Poor guy was so heartbroken," Jewel remembered. "Lyra was terrified. One moment you were holding her, the next you couldn't breathe and she was on the ground." She rubbed her arms. "It scared me, too... Been a long time since you had that bad of an episode."

"Hey, but I'm all right, aren't I?" He smiled and put a paw on her shoulder. "I'm here and alive. Something like that isn't going to happen again. Live and learn, Jewel." He pulled her into a hug after unbuckling. "Don't worry about it. I have you to take care of me now. You can be my food tester!"

"What? No!" She started laughing. "I'll be your food sniffer, but not tester!"

He grinned. "Is that a promise?"

She snorted. "For one night... and in return..."

"What?"

"You have to give me piggy back rides everywhere, except in the bathroom."

He laughed. "Deal."

Getting out of the car, Jewel jumped on his back, and he carried her into the _Hall_ , where Tennessee and Zeb were starting to wrap garland around various pillars, while Trixie and Méngméng were wrapping garland around the staircase railings. The cubs were missing, though.

As soon as Beary and Jewel entered the Hall, all eyes focused on them, leaving them uneasy and nervous. "Uh, what's everyone looking over here for?" Beary questioned, concerned.

"Where have you two been?" Tennessee demanded, not amused. "You better not have been making out, or so help me..."

Jewel blinked and started laughing. "Daddy, you don't really think _Beary_ would make the first move on a date to do that, do you? This is Beary we're talking about!"

"Hey!" Beary argued, though he knew she was right. "Fine, I'll give you that one." He set her down.

"Besides..." Jewel turned to him, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him full on the mouth. He pulled back, tripped over a box of ornaments, and got himself stuck in a box of garland, eyes shocked. "Case in point," she finished with a laugh.

Tennessee's eyes narrowed, but he accepted this result. "Then where were you?"

"Grabbed some hot cocoa and went to a couple movies. Simple as that. Didn't make out or anything. Couldn't even get him to grab my butt."

"JEWEL!" Beary gasped, pulling his coat up to hide his embarrassment.

Tennessee snorted. "At least I know you can't get up to any trouble with him. He might keep you grounded, o daughter of mine."

Jewel took on a thoughtful look. "Well, he did convince me not to get a nose ring, so I suppose that's right."

Her father scowled and went back to putting garland on the pillars, while Zeb laughed a bit.

Jewel turned back to Beary, only to find Henry standing there, looking pissed off. "Oh, hi, Henry!"

He gave her a gruff nod and hauled Beary out of the box, leading him away for a talk. As soon as they were away from the Hall, out on the covered bridge, Henry turned to him. "I want you to know how disappointed I am in you."

"What? What did I do this time?!" Beary complained, confused.

"Telling them what happened last night?! You know damn well I did not mean to break your tank!"

"I didn't tell anyone but Trista and Jacob!"

"You did what?!" Henry clenched his fists. "Beary! Damn it!"

"I didn't tell anyone but them! And they wouldn't tell anyone, not even Mama! So stop jumping down my throat and being an asshole!" he growled. "They told me that this happens when you aren't busy, or when things aren't going your way. They've told me that you've threatened, but never gone through with anything! They said that this was your first time actually almost hitting one of your cubs, and it better be the last, Papa! If you so much as touch Lyra while angry, I'll beat the crap out of you, and that's a promise!"

Henry glowered at him. "This isn't about Lyra, boy. This is about you lying."

"Lying?! I didn't lie! I told you the truth!"

"Then why is Jade making threats, huh? How does she know?!"

"Jade? Like I know? She couldn't have overheard us, as I had been picking up Trista and Jacob from the airport alone when I told them."

"Then you better figure out what happened, boy, or so help me. This is no one else's business but family, and you're treading on some mighty thin water."

"If that's the case, then why doesn't Mama know, huh? Why haven't you told her that you're a psychotic bear who gets pleasure from threatening your kids? Or are you too busy pushing her around? Don't think I didn't hear you!"

Henry backhanded him and shoved him against a wall of the covered bridge. "Now listen here, you little brat! What happened with your mother last night was an accident! You have no idea what I've been through, how my mind and memories torment me. How I still have nightmares from my haunts. If you feel so strongly about me, then why don't you leave, huh? No one's stopping you! No? You're not going to leave? Didn't think so. Sometimes, your ignorance and arrogance make me question why I saved you from that banker! Your attitude as of late has really had me questioning! So why don't you shut your little pie hole about things you don't understand? Hm? Is that a good idea? Yes, I think so."

Beary stared at him, shaking. The voice his father was using was not one he was used to. It wasn't even his angry voice, but something else entirely. It was frightening, and he was scared, something he didn't like being.

"Do you understand, boy?"

"Y-Yes, s-sir," Beary responded, fleeing as soon as he was released. He didn't bother with a retort, far too frightened. He also knew he couldn't tell anyone about the encounter. They wouldn't understand, and it'd make things worse. Not to mention tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and he didn't want to ruin it for everyone else.

Finding a tree, he began to climb as high as he could, ending up a good thirty feet off the ground, pulling his coat close to his body against the biting wind as he settled on a thick branch and cried.

 _.~*A Holiday to Remember*~._

 _A few minutes earlier..._

"Hey, Dad?"

Raymond Falco looked down on his short daughter from where he stood on a stepping stool hanging garland. "What is it?"

She waved him down, and, sighing, he got down. "I don't think something's right with Henry. He seems agitated, and I'm afraid he's taking it out on Beary," she whispered. "Possibly Helen, too. She's been nursing a head wound today, too."

Ray's brow furrowed at the thought. Henry being violent with his youngest boy and wife? That didn't sound like him at all. "Are you sure?"

"Positive, Dad."

"Fine, then I'll go talk to him. Did they go outside?" At her nod, he left the building, passing his work to the nearest bear, which happened to be her, leaving her garland pillar shorter than the rest of them – something the others spent the rest of the night teasing the short bear about.

Raymond sniffed the air and followed the scents of Beary and Henry out to the bridge in time to see Henry pushing his son against the wall and speaking harshly to him. Ray stay hidden from view, watching as the cub ran off. The tall bear waited a few minutes before walking onto the bridge, where Henry was staring out at the moonlit large pond.

After a few minutes of silence, Ray finally spoke. "Finally snapped, have you? I was wondering how long it would take."

"Go away, Ray. I don't want to talk."

"You're right, you don't _want_ to talk. You _need_ to talk before you screw up your family, Henry." Ray stood beside him, looking out at the water. "Look around you. This is all yours. You've raised a successful family so far, but your mind is starting to fray. You're getting angry and frustrated, kid."

"I'm not a kid, Ray."

"Then act like an adult! You need help, Henry, before you snap and do something more that you're going to really regret."

"Like what?"

"Beat your child. You've come close several times, from what I've heard. You actually broke his fish tank last night, from what Jade's told me, and I saw you push him up against the wall here. If you had actually hit him, I'd be laying you out on the ground there."

Henry's gaze lowered and he clenched his fists a bit. "I don't know what's going on. I really don't. I just... Lyra said something yesterday that she overheard Beary saying, and I guess it just..." He sighed, ears flattening.

Ray grumped a little and put his paws on the railing, still staring out at the water. "Why don't you tell me about it, then? Sounds like you could use a listening ear."

Henry didn't look at him as he began to talk, explaining what had happened the day prior, how Beary believed him neglectful because of his work schedule and the touring, and how Henry hated him for not only missing Helen's pregnancy, but Lyra's birth as well. How their confrontation had spun out of control, and Henry had lost his cool, swinging his cane and breaking the fish tank. Then he spoke of the night, how he had lost control, trapped in a nightmare, and when Helen had tried to help him, he'd pushed her back, injuring her, [He started crying at this point, too]. Finally, he spoke of the events of today, the altercation they had just had because Henry had been furious that Beary had told.

"Jade didn't learn from your boy, Henry. She learned from Jewel, who had mentioned it in passing as something she overheard last night," Ray responded.

Henry looked at him. "What?"

"Yup. So you better feel like an asshole, because that's what that was about: You jumping to conclusions. And what you said tonight? Saying that you were questioning why you rescued him from that banker? That was coldhearted, and I wouldn't blame the boy for hating you from now on. You deserve it, just from what you said to him. If it weren't the holidays, I'd slug you right now, but alas, I am going to be a good bear and not misbehave, or Helen and Cass will have both our butts." Ray shook his head. "If I were you, I'd find that boy and apologize deeply to him. Try to fix things the best you can. This feud is not worth losing your child. Take him some damn eggnog and talk this out before it gets too much later. If things are still awkward over dinner, I _will_ punch you out. I came here to relax, not get into the middle of a family squabble."

"Yeah, you're right... I'll talk to him," Henry responded, glancing at him with a faint smile. "I was out of line and jumpy, but... But what about the nightmares?"

"We'll talk about those later. Right now, you focus on Beary. And for Pete's sake, give him a different name already!" With that, Ray walked away, leaving the older bear to contemplate what he'd said.

' _Ray is right, I screwed up badly,_ ' Henry thought. ' _I have everything going for me: A loving wife, four beautiful children, two of which have lived successful lives, and two who haven't graduated from high school. Why am I letting these feelings get to me? Why I am allowing myself to slip? To attack Beary, who had done no wrong other than to rightfully point out that I am neglectful?_

' _But what if I can't fix things? What if I make them worse? Oh, I don't know what I'm doing anymore. Should I even bother? Maybe if I stay quiet, this will all blow over. No, Henry, stop thinking that way. It won't blow over, and you know it! You need to face this head-on before you lose Beary all over again. But what if he won't listen to me...?_ ' Henry sighed softly, looking out at the water, gently moved by the wind. He knew he should go get the eggnog. Maybe that would help soothe things over between them?

' _Might as well. Can't make things any worse,_ ' he finished, turning and began limping back to the _Hall_ , careful not to slip on the ice.

Upon entering and gathering up a thermos of eggnog and two cups, he ventured back outside, ignoring confused looks from his other family members. He just hoped he could get Beary to understand, and perhaps even help himself to calm down a bit. He wanted things to go back to the way they were, before...

He frowned. ' _Before what, exactly? I guess his first year living here after coming home was great. He certainly loved me enough. Now that I think about it, he started acting out around the time of the second tour – the first one I went on. The world tour. That actually explains a few things, and I get why he says I'm neglectful. He saw firsthand that I was ignoring Helen, albeit unintentionally, and he had to deal with the consequences. Her unbalanced hormones, her fears that I wouldn't come back... He was left alone to deal with that._ '

He sighed, ears flattening as he sniffed the air, locating his son's scent. ' _I need to make this right again. But how? Talking's a start, but what about after that? Do I invite him along on the rest of the tour? No, I can't. He has school. I can't pull him out of that, but I also don't want to give up on the tour. The band needs their manager, and I don't trust them with another person. Not after what Rip did to them. I could put Ted in charge, but that might just end in disaster. A power trip for him. No, it's best that I do it on my own. I'd take Helen, but... But what about Lyra? I could take her, too, but then Beary'd be left out. But perhaps it's a good idea. He can have a break, and won't have the pressure left on him. Yeah, that'll be what I do. I'll tell him in a couple days, not tonight, though. After the charity concert._ '

He finally stopped below a tree and looked up at his son, ears flattening when he heard him crying. How long had he been crying? Since leaving, almost thirty minutes ago? Henry couldn't believe he had actually made him cry.

Taking a deep breath, Henry called up. "Beary? Son, we need to talk."

* * *

 **Please review, as I want to know what you all think! Thanks for reading! See ya next time!**


	6. Part Six-Gods Bless Ye Merry Gentlebears

**CB does not belong to me [though I wish it did], which is why I write on here instead of publishing my stories in book form.**

 **So sit back and enjoy reading "A Holiday to Remember". Next posting is Sunday!**

* * *

 **Part Six – Gods Bless Ye Merry Gentlebears**

Beary's ears flattened when he heard his father's voice from the bottom of the tree. What did he want now? To yell at him some more? Berate and hate him? Possibly hit him and tell him to leave again? Was he going to kick him out? He didn't want to be left alone!

"Beary, please come down. I'm sorry."

"Sorry? You must be joking. You can't just say 'sorry' after what you said and expect it to be better!" Beary spat, glaring down at his father. "You made it quite clear that you didn't want me, Henry! That you didn't want to accept me back into the family! So cut the crap and leave me alone."

"Beary, please! Let me explain... Let me try to fix things!"

"You can't take back what you said. It's too late," Beary snarled. "I'm done with you. You've shown you don't care at all. Go to _Infernos_!"

"Beary..." Henry's heart fell. He wanted to cry. His own stupidity had caused him to lose his child. "If... If that's what you want, then I'll leave." He bent over, setting the eggnog thermos and the two cups on the ground at the base of the tree, and turned to walk away. He paused for just a moment, hoping Beary would forgive him, but when no sound came but the howling wind, Henry limped away.

Beary watched him, anger in his eyes. How could he think that a simple apology was going to change things? Had he forgotten all he'd said? Apparently so. No, if Henry wanted back in his life, he'd have to work for it.

Still, Beary felt regret. While his father had exploded, perhaps it was due to stress and his age? Trista and Jacob had both said that Henry, at times, suffered from nightmares, brought on from not having enough to do. That their father had never sought treatment for his nightmares.

' _Will I end up that way? The only one I talk of my nightmares to is Jewel... What if I end up like Papa?_ ' Beary's thoughts clouded and he flattened his ears at the image of him hurting Jewel in a fit of rage. Maybe he should talk to his father? Try to patch things up? Start with telling him about his nightmares, perhaps?

With a sigh, Beary climbed down, still able to see his father as he arrived on the ground. "Papa, wait!" he called, picking up the thermos and two cups. He then ran after his father, thankful for how slow he walked at times. "I'm sorry about being an ass. Well, no, actually, I'm not. You were being a jackass, Papa. And after what you said, I... It really hurt. You said you didn't want me anymore."

Henry could see the hurt he had caused, and he grimaced. "I wasn't thinking, Beary. I was angry and scared. I... I let a bad part of myself out. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Please, son, forgive this old foolish fart."

Beary tilted his head. "Did you just call yourself a foolish fart?"

Henry blinked. "What? This isn't how this is supposed to go, Beary."

"No, it's not... but you kinda lost me when you said 'foolish fart'. I mean, come on. That's ridiculous." Beary started laughing.

The pepper furred bear chuckled a little. "I suppose you're right. That was silly. But, Beary, I really am sorry about what I did. I never should have let things get so far. It's just that sometimes... sometimes the darkness in my soul comes out to play."

"I know what you mean," Beary murmured softly.

Henry glanced at him. "How could you know?"

"Because... Because it happens to me sometimes, too," he finally responded. "I get... There's been a few times where my nightmares meet me in the daytime, and I think... I actually... I get..." He shook his head.

Henry stared at him. "You have nightmares, too? What about?"

"The... The fire and... and the banker. I... Sometimes I wake up and cry... I see Jewel being killed a lot, and I always go see if she really is alive or not, even when she's not with us. I'll sneak out or call her, and we'll talk." He laughed a little. "You probably think I'm silly."

"Silly? No, not at all. Beary, why didn't you ever tell me you were having nightmares about that?"

Beary stopped walking and kicked at the snow. "Because it's stupid, Papa. They're stupid nightmares, and... and I don't want others knowing about them. Especially Mama and Lyra. They wouldn't understand, and Mama has enough to worry about." He sighed. "I try to smile and be happy around them, to give them some relief. Mama especially. She has enough to worry about with her forgetfulness."

"Beary, I know how hard this has been on you, kiddo. With me gone all the time... On the tours, at work... Leaving you with both Helen and Lyra to watch on your own... But I can't do this without you. My job is to travel and see that the band and everything is set up properly. My job is to seek out new talent and show it to the world, to give new singers a fighting chance against the industry. Someday, when you take over, you'll understand."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What? Take over?"

Henry nodded. "Did I not mention that the company will be yours when I retire? That when I die, _Country Bear Hall_ will belong to you?"

The teenager stared at his aging father in shock, before turning and looking around. "All of this... will be mine?"

"Someday, yes, little cub. When you've grown up."

"Hey, I'm 6' now, Papa," Beary teased. "Only an inch shorter than you, and I'm only sixteen."

Henry smiled. "You've grown up so much... and I've missed out on a lot of it because of my work... and because of losing my temper. If I hadn't that night... If I had just..."

"Hey, nothing's going to change what happened. The guy's gone, and I'm still here. He should've known that throwing me into a river wasn't going to kill me." Beary gave his father a smile. "And what happened to Mama wasn't your fault, either, but look, she's still here, too."

"But I still hurt you. Lost you... thrice now, but all three times you've come back. Why?"

"Because you're my Papa, and despite you being an ass sometimes, and neglectful, I know you love me. I really do. I just... forget sometimes."

Henry tilted his head and rubbed the back of it. "This talk is going a lot easier than I thought it would."

The teenager snorted and laughed. "I guess it is. Crazy, huh?"

Henry smiled and opened an arm. "Can I hug you?"

"Hug? Well, if you really want to." Noticing his father's hurt expression, he laughed. "Papa, I'm kidding! Calm down." He wrapped his arms around him. "Now stop freaking out."

Henry sniffed and held him close. "I'm going to try my hardest to be a good father. The best I can be. I might screw up a few times... but if you can keep me in check, then I think things will work out. And I'll try to control my outbursts, and I give you full permission to deck me if need be."

"Now why would I do that?" Beary questioned, pulling away. "That would just make things worse, especially on a bad day."

The pepper-furred bear blinked and thought about it for a moment. "I guess you're right..."

Beary shrugged. "I'm sorry for how I acted, Papa. Saying things I shouldn't have, even around Lyra. I never should have said you were neglectful when she was in ear-shot."

"You're a teenager, and you get cranky. I put a lot on your plate... which is why when we leave again, I'm taking Helen and Lyra with me."

Beary froze and stared at him. "You... You're taking them?" He shivered and looked out at the _Hall_. He'd be all alone!

"Yeah. To give you a break. It's about time I became a proper father to that little girl, and your mother has been wanting to go on a tour for a while. She misses doing that. She wants to see the country again, and I think it would do her good. And I can't leave Lyra behind; she needs her mother, and I want to prove that I can be a father."

"I-I... yeah... The-They'll like that." Beary rubbed his arm, trying not to show how upset he was. Maybe Henry would change his mind down the way? He hoped so. What would he do, alone in that big house? Some teenagers would throw a party. Not him. He didn't want to be left alone.

If Henry took note of his nervousness, he didn't say anything about it. "Do you want some of that eggnog?"

Beary glanced down at the thermos and two cups. "Yeah, actually." He was grateful for the change in subject. "But maybe we should go inside of standing in the snow?"

"Yeah, you're probably right. I am a little cold."

They ventured back into the Hall, and Jade moved over, separating Beary from his father, and looking him over.

"Oi! What are you doing?" Beary questioned, annoyed. "Stop that."

"Just making sure." Satisfied that she didn't find any injuries, Jade released him. "Go on. Your girlfriend is doing arts and crafts."

Beary frowned. What was that all about? Shaking his head, he went over and plopped himself down by Jewel.

"About time you returned," she spoke up, passing him a string, needle, and some popcorn.

Beary blinked, then looked back up to where his father was watching him with his ears lowered, and Beary glanced down at the cup and thermos he still held. "Uh, hold on, Jewel." He got back up and took the cups and thermos over to his father. "Almost forgot!"

Henry started to smile, and took the offered cup as Beary poured him some eggnog. "Thank you."

The teenager perked up and poured his own glass, grinning at the taste. "Delicious."

"You'd best be getting back to Jewel. And, son? It's about damn time you two got together." Henry smiled and limped away to find his wife, who was helping Lyra out with some other garland.

Beary blushed and grinned happily before making his way back over to Jewel... and tripping over a box of garland in the process. "Gah!"

Loud laughter filled the air, and he flushed in embarrassment. To make it worse, a bow fell on his bottom – which was sticking up in the air – and someone [Zeb] shouted, "Jewel! We found your Christmas present!" This was met with more laughter.

Getting up, he looked at the damage. Thankfully the eggnog hadn't landed on anyone, but instead made a mess on the ground. He went into the kitchen and got out the mop and bucket to clean up the mess. He kept his ears down and tuned out the laughter, which only got louder when he realized the bow was still stuck to his pants. Grumbling, he plucked it off and instead put it on top of his head with a grin. "There, now I'm a present, as all the good things are up here."

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that," Jewel teased.

He blushed horribly. "Jewel!"

She raised an eyebrow. "What? You have a cute butt."

"That... but..."

"Yes, your butt is very handsome," she went on, grinning.

He scowled and continued mopping, purposely turning his back to her, but regretted that when she let out a "meow". "Jewel!"

She laughed. "All right, I'm done. Yeesh."

"You better be, young lady!" Tennessee growled from another table.

"Tennessee, let her be young and make him squirm. They are dating now," Trixie laughed, patting his arm. "Pay attention to your arts and crafts, as Zak and Riley are both currently painting on your hair."

"What?" He put a paw on his head and pulled it away, shocked to find blue and white paint on it. "BOYS!"

Zak and Riley quickly took off, paint brushes in paws.

Zeb wasn't getting off much easier, though he was embracing his twins painting his stripes various colors. Méngméng watched with loving eyes, smiling as her babies played with their father. She rested a paw on her belly, feeling her litter kicking every so often. Zeb turned to her and placed his own paw on it as well, grinning ear to ear.

Ted, however, was sitting back, not wanting to get in the Falcos way. He wanted to be with his son, but Ray was still glaring at him. He knew why, but there wasn't anything he could do. It sucked. What could he do to fix this? "Hey, uhm... Aiden, how about you come over here?"

Aiden looked up at his father curious. "Why, Daddy?"

"Show me what you've made, perhaps? Whatcha been up to?"

Aiden frowned and held up his drawing, pointing out who was who. "There's Mommy, Pops, Nana, Uncle Jesse."

Ted frowned. "Where am I?"

"On the bus!" he answered simply, and Ted's ears flattened.

Ray snickered, and Cassandra smacked him over the ear.

Jesse looked over at his father and shook his head. As un-fond of the other bear as he was he could see the heartbreak in his face.

Ted frowned. "Oh... You did a good job, kiddo."

Aiden grinned and got back to coloring his picture.

Ted got up and walked away. His son thought he was an absent father, his maybe-father-in-law laughed at him and disliked him, and even his maybe-brother-in-law didn't like him. What was he to do?

He bumped into Jade, who apologized, and kept walking. It was only when he felt her paw on his shoulder that he stopped.

"Ted? What's the matter?" Jade questioned, looking at him with concern. What had upset him enough to warrant that expression on his face?

"I... It's nothin'. Just realizing things."

"Must not be any good, given your expression." She led him away from the group. "Talk to me, Ted."

"It... It's Aiden. He drew this family picture, but I... I wasn't in it. He said I was off on the bus."

"Oh, I see. Well, that's not horrible. It's not great, but it's not horrible, either." Jade frowned. "I'll talk to him, honey. Don't take him to heart. While you are here, be with him. Help him. Learn more about him, honey. Teach him about you. Do that and prove to me that you're serious about us being a couple. Promise me you'll do this, Ted."

"I want to fix things between us, Jade. I really do." He looked back at their son. "Do you think it will help?"

She nodded. "I do, yes. As you might have been able to tell, he's starting to realize your long absences with the tours. Even at two years of age, he's a fairly smart cub. I've been teaching him early development skills. He's already starting to count, be able to draw, and all that stuff."

"Geez, Jade, are you trying to raise a genius?"

"Of course!" She grinned. "Why would I want to raise someone not smart?"

"Yeah, but shouldn't you let him learn at his own pace? He's already speaking fairly good sentences!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Ted."

"What?"

"You're ridiculous. I let him learn at his own pace, but I'm not going to stop him from learning. He's very eager. And, like I said before... he likes listening to your singing, so I've been playing him your music before bed. He sings along to it sometimes, if he listens enough." She shrugged and gave him a small smile. "Don't think he doesn't love you, Teddy, because he does. Just because he might not include you in a picture he's drawn, doesn't mean that he doesn't." She gave him a peck on the cheek. "Now come back and let's do some crafts with our son."

He smiled at her and nodded, following her back.

Over with Helen, Henry had sat down beside his wife, after finishing his eggnog, and helped her string up some cranberries, popcorn, and anything else Lyra could get her paws on to make a custom strand of edible garland. Lyra was sitting on the floor with a few bowls around her for her to pick through, and after sifting through each one, she would grab a few pieces and pass them over.

Henry watched her for a few minutes, amused, before scanning the massive room. The pillars looked beautiful with the garland wreaths wrapped around them with bows on top. The stairs, too, were magnificent. The branch-like railings on the balcony were stunning with the multi-colored sparkling garland, and, to his surprise, paper stars hung from the rafters. He let out a low whistle and smiled. The only thing not yet decorated was the tree, which would be strung up the following day, with the star placed last. Or was it a Tueri this year? He hoped so. He liked having the Tueri at the top of the tree. It was a beautiful decoration his wife had made by hand for their very first Christmas together. And this was the first time in many years that he had his whole family together again. Well, except for his parents, who would be arriving tomorrow, along with Helen's; no doubt his parents would be bringing his family expensive gifts like they usually did, spoiling his children.

Briefly, he wondered what he'd bring this year. A couple laptops? Expensive headphones? Another new car?! Henry shook his head, exasperated.

Helen glanced over at her husband questioningly. "Hendri? Is you o-okay?"

He blinked and turned his head towards her. "Of course I am, Helena. I just have things on my mind. I'll talk to you about them later, okay?"

"Bath?" she whispered.

He nodded, grinning. "Of course."

Lyra flicked an ear and loudly asked, "Mommy, why are you and Papa going to take a bath together?"

Henry grumbled at the loud laughter that befell them from the gathered group in the _Hall_. "Because that's when your mother and I do our best thinking."

"And conceiving!" Jacob yelled.

Henry scowled at his oldest son. "Yeah, that's what happened with you!"

Helen was laughing and shaking her head. She liked it when her family playfully squabbled. It made the day quite enjoyable. And to have them all here for Christmas? It was something she hadn't had in a long time. One or the other, but neither both her older children at once. Not until now. Watching them with their families, she found herself purring. They were so strong and healthy. Wonderful parents and accomplished adults. Would Lyra and Beary become like them? Beary was starting his own life already, having asked Jewel to be his girlfriend at long last. But what about Lyra? Her little blind child.

She knew at some point they'd have to send Lyra to a school for the blind so she could learn how to properly take care of herself. To write, perhaps? Be able to make something of herself. Learn to deal with society. Would she be able to? Of course she would. She was a Taylor!

"What are you thinking about now, Helena?" Henry questioned, curious.

She smiled. "I tell bath."

He kissed her cheek. "Keep your secrets, woman. At least until I get you under the water."

"Gross!" Beary yelled from where he was sitting with Jewel, also doing some crafts.

Henry glanced over at him and laughed, shaking his head.

Lyra shook her head and went back to passing along a few cranberries, popped popcorn, some licorice, dried orange slices, gummy bears, cinnamon sticks, marshmallows, Danish butter cookies with their little loops, and finally doughnut holes. No one could say that her garland wasn't the most unique, even if it wasn't very appealing.

Henry smiled, looking at the garland strand. It was certainly different, no doubt about that. "Well, she certainly has her own style." He laughed a little.

Helen laughed and nodded. "Differ, like her."

"Indeed."

Over with Trista, Kavik, Jacob, and Rachel, the two families were helping their own cubs with various arts and crafts. Kaspian and Kenya were both making macaroni art, while Aspen was happily painting ornament baubles with various things, such as a snowman or a gingerbread house. Even baby Owen got into the spirit of the holiday by playing with some tinsel and throwing it around on his parents and anyone else he could get his paws on.

At least until Beary picked him up and plopped him down on the seat between him and Jewel with a laugh. "Here, buddy, you can help me out. We're making gingerbread houses!"

Owen's eyes widened as he looked at the treats on the table. "Cand?"

"Candy? Nah, buddy, those are for the house!"

Owen pouted, and Jewel passed him a little treat. "Dank!"

She grinned. "You're awfully good with cubs, Beary."

"I do have a little sister," he laughed. "But I'm not about to spoil Owen with our supplies, troublemaker."

She shook her head. "What could he do?"

"Oh, I don't know, start eating the wall of our house?"

"Eating the wall of our... Gah! Owen!"

The little cub had one of the gingerbread walls firmly tucked in his paws and his mouth, nibbling on it. He gave a little growl when she tried to take it back.

Beary was crying from laughing so hard. "I warned you!" He got up, holding his nephew by the scruff, and walked over to his brother. "I believe this little wall-stealing monstrosity belongs to you?" He plopped the cub right down on his brother's crafts and left, ignoring Jacob's "hey!".

Meanwhile, over with Dex, Roxi, and Roadie, who were gathering up supplies for the kitchen and getting the table placements out – with Fred helping – Roxi bumped hips with Dex, and he playfully kissed her cheek.

Roadie glanced at them. "You two are certainly friendly."

"Of course we are. We're living together now, Daddy, remember?"

"Right, right. So when are you going to pop the question, boy?"

"Yeah, Dexter, when are you going to ask the big question?" Roxi teased.

"Who says I'm going to?" he questioned, defiant.

Roxi stared. "You're... not?"

"I'm not going to tell you when I'm going to propose. That removes the surprise," he argued.

"Well, I suppose you're right in that," she responded with a laugh. "You're forgiven, my smexy-Dexy." She nuzzled his cheek and he turned a bright red.

"Gah! Rox!" He stared at her in horror.

She giggled and held his hand. "Oh, you know you like it."

"Yes, I do, but not here," he complained.

Roadie laughed. "Please, don't. It's hard enough that my baby girl's growing up. Don't want to see any nookie."

Roxi looked at her father. "Surprised you even know what that is, Daddy."

"And I better be the only one you call Daddy, too."

"Oh, of course. I don't know why some people call their significant other 'daddy' or something like that. It's just wrong." She shook her head.

Dex just stared, not sure why they were having this conversation in the first place. So he walked into the kitchen to visit with his family. "Smells great! What's tonight main meal?"

Allison looked over at her son and smiled. "Roast beef tonight, leftovers tomorrow, and then ham and more roast beef on Christmas. Sound good?"

"Sounds great! Man, I've missed your cooking, Mom. Do you and Dad need any more help?"

"Well, you can start putting the food out, yes. Is the table set?"

"Yep. Roxi and Roadie are putting out the last bits."

"In that case, you can start taking things out. Hop to it!" she teased with a grin.

Smiling, he picked up a pot with a hot pad and took it out to the table. "Wash up for dinner!" he called over the music.

 _.~*~._

After dinner compliments, thank yous, and everything else, the groups split apart to return their homes/cabins.

Once Henry and Helen were certain all their cubs and their families were settled, they finally were able to take the opportunity to have some alone time in the bathroom.

Helen, dressed in only a robe, sat on the tub edge, checking the temperature as it filled. She liked it toasty, as it meant that she and Henry could stay in the water longer, just talking like they used to.

"How's the water?" Henry asked, wandering over. Like his wife, he bore only a robe, only his was already undone and he was hanging it up after locking the door.

"Hot," she grinned, her smile bright and happy. She stood up, leg shaking slightly, and removed her robe, passing it over to him. He hung it on the door before moving over, leaning on the sink counter, and climbed into the large tub before helping her in and settled on top of him.

Helen situated herself so that she was sitting sideways, resting her head on his chest.

Henry smiled and turned on the jets that bubbled the water, relaxing their aching muscles. He leaned his head back and moaned as the jets worked on his muscles. "This is what I've missed. Spending time in here with you, relaxing. Be with you, too, honey." He rested a paw on her shoulder, gently rubbing it.

"Tense."

"Tense?"

She nodded. "You."

"Oh, I'm tense? Yeah... I suppose I am. I have a lot on my mind, honey. Things that Beary mentioned. Helena? You... You weren't going to abort Lyra because of your stress while I was gone?"

Her ears flattened. "Yes. I scared. You no believe. Thought I lie."

He sighed. "I wish I had been smarter. I should have listened and come back when you asked me to. I never meant to hurt you, Helena. If I had known... If I had just listened... then maybe Lyra wouldn't have been born blind."

Her eyes widened and she sat up, turning to look into his eyes. "Not fault! Not fault!" She lightly pounded his chest. "Not fault!"

He sat up quickly and grabbed her arms. "Helena. Helena! Calm down! Easy..." He pulled her close, trying to keep her stable. He hadn't meant to upset her! "Please, honey..."

She shook her head, whimpering. "Not fault... not fault..."

"It's no one's fault. She's beautiful just the way she is, darling. I didn't mean to instigate anything, or upset you. But my absence contributed to it, I'm sure. It made you stressed, that much Beary told me. He... He also told me you thought about abandoning her?" The shame that radiated off his wife spoke tones to him. "Oh, Helena... I'm so sorry."

"B-Beary save. B-Beary good."

Henry nodded, thinking back to how he had treated him over the past two days. "He is very good, and I'm sorry that I sometimes give him such a hard time. I just..."

"Get angry."

He flinched and nodded. It was his turn to be ashamed. "How much do you know?"

"Fish. Why? Fish did no harm."

"I wasn't thinking. I swung my cane... he was saying such things, I got worked up, and... I broke his tank. But I'm going out tomorrow and getting him a new tank. Bigger than before. 36 gallons with a stand. He can pick what fish he wants. Do you think that's an okay gift?"

"I... I think he want Papa more." She looked at him. "Beary want Hendri see him."

"He wants me to see him? But I do see him. Every day we've been home." Henry was confused.

She sighed. He didn't understand, and she wasn't sure how to explain it to him. So she let it go, hoping he'd figure it out at some point. Instead, she snuggled up against him, happy for this time they had together. She relaxed and closed her eyes, purring up a storm.

He tried to smile and relax, but his mind was reeling. What did she mean? Of course he saw Beary. How could he not? He wasn't blind like Lyra. He could see Beary as a fine young adult that had taken on more responsibility than he should have. That was why... "Helen? When we go back on tour, I'm taking you and Lyra with me. Beary needs a break, and I want you by my side again."

Her eyes opened and she blinked. "Take us?"

He nodded.

"Company?"

"It can handle itself for a few months, honey, and Big Al could look in on it from time to time, or my parents. And don't worry about Beary. He'll have Jewel, Fēnglì, and Méngméng, plus the other cubs. He and Jewel can have some time to themselves and whatnot. Focus on school and their jobs at the grocery."

Helen frowned a little, but nodded. "Okay." A thrill filled her with excitement. She'd be going with her lover on tours again! Just like old times! She could hardly wait! And Lyra's first big trip, too! Oh the adventures they would have!

And yet, as her excitement grew, her thoughts of her young, troubled son, began to dissipate within her. She forgot to worry.

* * *

 **Please review, as I want to know what you all think! Thanks for reading! See ya next time!**


	7. Part 7 - Twas the Night Before Christmas

**CB does not belong to me [though I wish it did], which is why I write on here instead of publishing my stories in book form.**

 **So sit back and enjoy reading "A Holiday to Remember". Next posting is whenever I finish!**

 **Sorry about not posting for a while. Words were said to me, I got depressed, and on top of that, my beloved kitty was diagnosed with cancer. He's still with us, for now, and is doing all right, but I highly doubt he'll last for another few months.**

 **So sorry for the delay, but here's part seven, and part eight will be out when I finish it, and so on and so forth. Book Four: Tainted Melodies will be uploaded more after I finish this story here. :3**

* * *

 **Part Seven – 'Twas the Night Before Christmas**

 _'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house  
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;_

A bright, glorious day met them all as they awoke. Fresh snow had fallen, covering the grounds in a powder of cold. Cubs hurried from their beds to downstairs, and rushed outside of their homes to play in the fresh snow, laughing and causing trouble. A few even gathered up some snow, brought it inside, and dumped it on their parents' faces before jumping on them, pulling them from their slumber.

Laughter and "good morning"s filled the air, and coffee began to brew in the pot. Mothers dressed their cubs, while fathers stood over the stove cooking a mighty breakfast for their little clans, a few scratching their bums as they yawned loudly and complained about being up so early.

The table was set; oatmeal, eggs, bacon, and sausage were some of the items served with a healthy glass of orange juice. The babes nursed from their mothers, while their older siblings ate their delicious meals and talked up a storm about what would happen that day, how excited they were for Santa Claus to finally arrive; how good they had been all year.

 _The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,  
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;_

Once breakfast was finished, dishes cleaned and dried, and a few last minute gifts to others wrapped, the families began walking out their doors, only to light up with delight as they were greeted with a two-horse drawn sleigh, complete with a random driver from the country. Piling on board, each family was brought to the _Hall_ to greet one another and excitedly talk about the little surprise, all surprised when they found out that the drivers had been hired and paid for by none other than Beary, Fēnglì, Jewel, and Helen, who had pooled their earnings together to give everyone a Christmas Eve surprise.

Happy greetings were shared, the drivers tipped – they would return back to their farms, only to return again later that evening to take everyone home – and all went inside. Today was the day they would finally decorate their massive tree together as one big family. Even the Barringtons had arrived from in town. The only ones not there were the Stones, who were spending the holiday with James' family, who had come in from various states.

 _The children were nestled all snug in their beds,  
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;_

Laughter and merry filled the _Hall_ with joy as the family gathered together to spend the day decorating their magnificent, sixteen-foot-tall tree. Boxes of ornaments were brought in and set about, while water was added to the tree base to keep it fresh. Plans had already been drawn to plant the tree after the holiday, to let it grow like trees from years past. They had made sure that a majority of roots had been kept on the tree, and the roots were being kept under the stage – the tree was going through the trapdoor towards the front of the stage, leaving the stage to mainly support it. The presents would be packed in front of the stage, where the branches overlapped, leaving the gifts still "under the tree".

Beary and Jewel grinned, staring at their tree, thinking about the day before, where they had finally decided to take the plunge together and start dating. No one else knew the real reason why they wanted this tree, but most suspected.

Beary slipped his paw in Jewel's, and kissed her cheek. "Time to start decorating. We get the top half."

"Really? I'd rather be on the bottom," she teased, tapping his nose.

He blushed so hard that his voice stopped working.

Dex, who had been walking by that very moment, cracked up. "Dude, she's got you by the jingle balls! Oh, my God. You are so red."

"I'm a bear. You can't see me blushing," he huffed.

"Actually, considering your face has white fur, it's kinda easy," Dex laughed, slapping his shoulder. "You poor thing. Only sixteen, and your girlfriend's already got you wrapped around her finger."

Beary sputtered and growled at him, but fell into a purr when Jewel tickled his chin.

Dex shook his head. "Ah, young love. You'll normalize soon enough." He wandered away.

Beary shot him a scowl and batted Jewel's paw away. "You're incorrigible."

"Aw, but that's why you love me." She licked his chin and trotted off to find the decorations for the top.

He rubbed the spot and smiled. "Indeed it is," he murmured with a smile. He had found things to be a lot easier and smoother between them since they had admitted their feelings to each other finally. He was happier and less afraid... while Jewel became more incorrigible, much to his amusement. Even his nightmares hadn't bothered him last night, his mind instead filled with dreams of her.

Humming a little tune, he followed her over to the decorations and grabbed a large ladder – setting it up with Fēnglì – and together, the three of them began working on the top of the tree, while the older bears worked on the middle, and the bottom was left to the cubs to decorate with Helen, Trista, Trixie, and Méngméng – basically the females that couldn't be on ladders because of their pregnancies or, in Helen's case, lack of balance. Henry was supervising and occasionally helping out his wife.

 _And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,  
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,_

One by one, the sections were done over the course of several hours until the tree was finally done. Then finally, the star was placed on top by Beary and Jewel – as it was fairly big – and all stood back to admire the mix-match tree of sparkly garland, balls, and ornaments mixed with homemade edible garland, crafted balls, and homemade ornaments. Somehow, it looked beautiful.

Lunch was made and served – simple sandwiches and cocoa – and naptimes for the cubs and the pregnant she-bears [plus Helen] started as they were led back to the Taylor cabin. Everyone else began bringing wrapped gifts in from the practice room and setting them up around the tree, placing them with care, yet also with a precision that made each one stand out instead of blending in.

Most gifts were boxes, but a few looked like different shapes, such as a rocking horse or a plush animal.

Beary blinked when he came across one of the odder packages, this one with air holes, and it was addressed to him. "Air holes?"

"Well, yeah. You should probably open it now, actually," Jewel laughed. She looked at the adults, who just stared at them. "Since it's in a box with holes."

Beary lifted it and gave it a few sniffs before opening it, laughing when out popped a white kitten with black paws and ears. "Awe! You got me a new kitty?"

"Tabs could use a friend to play with," she grinned, watching him interact with the new kitten. "Bob Harley brought him over earlier for me. His name is Tao."

Beary placed the kitten on top of his head and grinned. "You're going to make me a crazy cat lady!"

"I'm pretty sure you'd need a sex change for that, Beary," she snorted and kissed his nose.

"Awe, they're so adorable. Already picking out a pet!" Zeb grinned, watching them.

Tennessee frowned. "Picking out a pet?! Jewel!"

"What? I was getting the kitten for him even if we weren't dating, Dad!"

Beary rolled his eyes. "Now I have a new hat," he laughed, glancing up at the kitten that had curled up on his head. "So fabulous."

Jewel laughed, then blinked when she looked into the box and found another kitten. "Wait, what? I only asked for one!" She picked the little solid black kitten out and studied her. She had thick brown fur for just a little thing, and green eyes. "I'm going to name you Cocoa."

Beary snorted. "Someone's been drinking too much Hot Chocolate."

"Excuse you, it's freakin' delicious."

He shook his head. "Weirdo!"

 _When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,  
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter._

With the presents all safely displayed and mixed, the adults and teens sat down on benches and relaxed, now that the mound of gifts were finally dealt with. The conversation turned to the charity concert that would be happening on the 27th, and the acts that would be performing – a few of them debuting, including Fēnglì, Jewel, and Beary's little band, _JCB_.

Some of the acts included:

\- _JCB_ \- debuting

\- _The Country Bears_

\- _Celaya_

\- _Rascal Flatts_

\- _Carrie_ _Underwood_

\- _Taylor Swift_

\- _Pepso_ – debuting

\- _Whiskers_ – debuting

\- _The Biashocks_ – debuting

\- Etc, etc

 _The Biashocks_ was a band that Beary and Jewel knew, as they had met before at Henry's studio and school, and always liked to make challenges and bets. In fact, they had made one with _JCB_ for the upcoming concert. Winner [who gets the most applause] gets to perform with _The Country Bears_ as an opening act for their next tour. Even Henry and the band had agreed to the deal, so Beary was determined to win, if only to spend more time with his father; to show that he wasn't just a screw up.

 _Away to the window I flew like a flash,  
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash._

Afternoon snacks wereserved, and the younglings and pregnant ladies were returned to the _Hall_ , laughing up a storm at something Zak and Riley had done.

"Tennessee, your sons are ridiculous," Trixie grinned, watching as they threw their food at each other.

"Boys, boys! Behave! No throwing your food and making a mess!" Tennessee cried, trying to make them listen to reason. Darn cubs.

 _The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow  
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,_

Meanwhile, Beary was trying to get back his sandwich from Jewel, who was playfully holding it above her head away from him. He laughed and tried to get it back, but she brought it down and took a big bite out of it. "Ha!"

"Gah! Jewel!" he cried. "My sandwich!"

She grinned and continued to eat it. "Mine now." She glanced up at the kitten sleeping on her head and smiled. "Cute little Cocoa."

Beary scoffed and looked at his own kitten, who was on his head. "Tao's better," he teased.

"Don't let Tabs hear you say that, honey. She'll eat another fish."

Beary shrugged. "Don't got any more fish for her to eat."

"Well, that's certainly true," she laughed. "Tabs took care of that!"

 _When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,  
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,_

Beary laughed and looked at her in amusement. "You're so mean."

She poked his nose. "Oh, very mean indeed."

He suddenly snorted. "Your little Cocoa just peed on you, Jewel."

"WHAT?!" She looked shocked as her head felt warm and wet. "Aw, man!"

Beary almost fell off his chair with laughter. He picked up his kitten and grabbed Cocoa. "I'll put them in Papa's office and let them mess up his things."

"Yeah, and then you can help me wash my head."

He paused. "Wouldn't it be better for you to just take a shower?"

"We don't have showers at the _Hall_ , remember? So I'm going to need your help in the kitchen sink."

"Uh, yeah, sure."

 _With a little old driver, so lively and quick,  
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.  
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,  
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;_

Jewel leaned back over the kitchen sink from where she was laying on a moveable table that had been locked in place. "I can't believe Cocoa did that."

"Well, I can't quite blame her. She's just a kitten." Beary wandered over to her and got the spray hose ready and to a good temperature. "I'm going to use dish soap on your head, by the way." He pulled of his sweater and draped it upon a stool.

She 'mmmed' and purred, looking him up and down, focusing on his clothes-less upper body appreciatively. Since he had been going to the gym to stay in shape, and could lift almost three-hundred pounds, he was very fit. She knew she looked good, too, as she joined him at the gym often, and could lift about two-hundred-fifty pounds. "Go for it. Work your magic."

He blushed. "Jewel!"

She snorted. "Okay, there was nothing perverted about that one!"

"Uh-huh." He laughed and smiled as he began spraying her with the hose and soaking her head, washing the cat pee off it. He rubbed slowly, trying to not hurt her with his claws, and also to give her a massage. "How's that feel?"

"Mmm… Have you been taking massage lessons?"

"Well, you know it helps Mama with her shoulders and back, so yes, kinda," he responded, grabbing the dish soap and working it into her hair. "First time with a head, though."

"Well, you can rub my head anytime, C-Bear," she teased, closing her eyes and continuing to purr.

"I think I shall, then," he smiled.

 _"Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!  
On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONDER and BLITZEN!  
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!  
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"_

Out in the main room, Jade and Ted stood watching the two in the kitchen, and Jade smacked Ted over the head. "Why don't you do anything romantic like that?!"

He blinked and looked at her. "Woman, I've written _Billboard Top 100_ songs for you! How is that not romantic?!"

"Psh, anyone can do that!"

"Just like anyone can give massages!"

"Will you two just get a room already?" Zeb asked, laughing as he watched them argue.

"Shut up, Zeb!" Ted growled at the same time Jade said, "shut up, Zoober!"

Zeb rolled his eyes. "So, what, I'm only known by my stage name around you people? Yeesh."

"Apparently, yes," Mèngmèng teased, kissing his cheek and nuzzling him playfully. "But you'll always be my Alec, Mr. Seillean."

"And you'll be my Mrs. Seillean," he responded, rubbing her nose with his own.

"See? That's what I mean!" Jade complained.

"Well, why don't you become Mrs. Bedderhead, then, and get this out of the way so I can call you such?" Ted retorted.

"I've been trying for years! You won't set the damn date!"

"Well, why not New Years Eve, then?"

"Wait, what? Of this year?! Are you crazy?!"

"Well, a bit. Maybe for you. Maybe just plain crazy in general."

"What about the honeymoon?!"

"Well, you and Aiden can come with us to the rest of the tour and see the country! I think that'd be a glorious honeymoon."

"Yeah, but, Ted, you realize that if we went out to eat, we'd be hounded, right?"

"Yes, but, Jade, do you realize that'd happen no matter what? I'm a very famous singer, and all the babes want me."

"Are you trying to get beat up by my father and brother?"

Ted's eyes widened and he looked over at Ray and Jesse, who were glaring at him. "Um… No, not really…"

"That's what I thought. Fine. New Year's Eve, you crazy bear."

 _As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,  
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,  
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,  
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too._

"So Ted's finally getting hitched. Means I don't have to share a room with him anymore!" Fred laughed loudly. "So tired of listening to him complain."

"Yes, but now you'll have to share with Aiden, you doof," Ted laughed, putting an arm around Jade.

"What about Henry?"

"Helen and Lyra are coming, too, remember?" Zeb spoke up. "At least that's the rumor." He looked over at Henry, who nodded. "See?"

"So then who is going to keep loverbirds out of trouble?"

"Mèngmèng's staying here, remember? Plus, you have the Stones and the Barringtons. All you have to do is split them up while we're gone, and boom! No babies," Zeb grinned.

Henry blinked. That possibility hadn't even crossed his mind!

"Are we even going to have room on the bus for everyone?" Tennessee commented with a frown. "That's four extra people…"

"Psh, that's not too bad. A little cramped, but… I think I can rent out a bus from the company," Henry laughed. "Just this once until we get one to own. It'll have beds, so…"

Tennessee's eyes lit up. "Then we can bring the boys!"

Trixie nodded enthusiastically. "And Zeb can bring his twins!"

"It would be nice… and Mèngmèng could join us this time! She's got nothing else she can do here…"

"Oi! What about me, Papa?" Fēnglì complained, throwing a piece of crust at him.

Zeb laughed. "You have school, young one, as do Beary and Jewel. But your mother is pregnant, and perhaps this will be easier on both of us."

Mèngmèng nodded, excited. "I'm tired of just sitting around! Let's go exploring! And I'll have Jade AND Helen with us!"

Jade laughed and patted her head. "Of course I'll be going with you. Girls in one car, boys in the other. Make me want Ted more at night for sure."

 _And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof  
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.  
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,  
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound._

Fēnglì laughed. "Well, in that case… Fine. But where am I to stay?"

"You three will be fine here. You'll have school to keep you busy, and you'll check in with the Barringtons every day."

Allison nodded. "That sounds like a plan, actually."

Ray frowned. "So you're keeping three teenagers here alone."

Henry laughed. "No, Big Al is still here. He'll be back soon enough from Salt Lake City – you know he's on his honeymoon. He'll be watching over them here, but I think a few days will give them some responsibility."

"Or those two time to be all over each other," he grumped.

"Raymond," Cassandra laughed. "Calm down. I highly doubt that they'd do something like that so soon. They seem like proper young bears who want to take things slow."

"That's what they want you to think. As soon as we're gone, they'll be all over each other."

"You don't know that for sure, love."

 _He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,  
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;  
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,  
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack._

Norbert agreed with Cassandra. "We trust Beary to behave."

"It's not the boy I'm worried about, but that girl. She is very… excitable."

"That's just how she is," Trixie argued, glaring at him.

"Improper? She'll get herself in trouble that way. Damn teenagers."

"We were teenagers once, Sunshine." She poked his nose and laughed. "They'll be good if this lot is trusting them so much. Does that not say anything?"

He sighed. "Fine, fine. Do what you want. I'm just giving my two cents." He shrugged and went back to his sandwich.

Helen looked in at the kitchen where Beary was now drying Jewel's hair off, and then helping to put it back into her new hairstyle of the different ponytails. He was happy at last, and she didn't want to disturb that. Trusting him here with minimal watching was a great show of belief in him, and she knew he knew that.

Her eyes fell on Lyra, who was wrestling with her nieces and nephews, and her smile grew.

 _His eyes - how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!  
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!  
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,  
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;_

Afternoon turned to evening, and with evening came the family photo shoots in ugly Christmas sweaters after their main outfits. There would be family, couples, kids, and then a group photo.

Getting the children to sit quietly together was a pain in the rear end, though, as they either tackled each other, wouldn't sit still, or caused some sort of trouble. Even Lyra was not immune to the mischief as she would bite an ear or two, much to the amusement of everyone else.

Zeb was the one taking the photos, having set up his lighting and carefully lighting the scenes in front of the big tree.

 _The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,  
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;  
He had a broad face and a little round belly,  
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly._

Families were next, and everyone gathered around in their little groups, with the Bedderhead family finally arriving and posing with their sons, Jade, and Aiden. The Taylors took up their spot next, all together at last and standing proud. They were followed by the O'Neals, the Seilleans, Barringtons, Falcos, and lastly the Matthews.

 _He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,  
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;  
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,  
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;_

Couples came next, and Jewel had to pull Beary into posing with her a few times, and after a few pictures, he got into it and hoisted her on his back for a piggyback ride, grinning proudly as he held her. He was making sure to take a bit more time with theirs, as he knew that Dex had something special planned for his and Roxi's shoot.

"Get off the stage, loverboy!" Zeb shouted playfully as he took pictures of Beary twirling with Jewel on his back.

Beary grinned and did so, setting Jewel down when they got to the bottom floor. He poked her nose, then pointed up at the stage.

 _He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,  
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,  
And laying his finger aside of his nose,  
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;_

Dex stood nervous beside Roxi as Zeb reset the lights for their skin tones to not blow them out. He reached into his pocket, fingering the little velvet box with the ring. He knew how he wanted to do it, but at the same time he sweat at the thought of doing it in front of everyone else.

He knew Roxi had no idea as she rambled off playful poses to him, only half of which he paid attention to.

"You two ready?" Zeb asked from behind his camera after fiddling with the settings.

Roxi nodded and posed jokingly, leaning on his shoulder with one of her legs bent upwards like a love-struck girly girl. "Come on, Dex! Pose with me, you dork!" she laughed as the flash went off.

Dex instead poked her nose. "I have a better idea." He swallowed, and then plopped down on one knee, holding the box open to her.

A hush fell across the _Hall_ as eyes fell on the two on the stage, with Zeb still taking pictures, trying to get every reaction he could.

Roxi was startled for a moment, before grinning and taking the ring and sliding it on her finger. "About damn time, Dexter Barrington! I thought I'd have to ask you myself!" she laughed, pulling him up and kissing him full on the mouth to the whooping and yelling of Beary and Jewel.

 _He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,  
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.  
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,  
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!_

Hours later, Henry closed the book and smiled, looking around at all the sleeping cubs and smiled brightly. So precious and young. To have so many here, still believing in the magic. And now, it was night and time for all to sleep. Today's events had been exhausting, but the day was at last done, the story told, and it was time to relax.

* * *

 **Please review, as I want to know what you all think! Thanks for reading! See ya next time!**


	8. Part Eight - Up in Smoke

**CB does not belong to me [though I wish it did], which is why I write on here instead of publishing my stories in book form.**

 **So sit back and enjoy reading "A Holiday to Remember". Next posting is whenever I finish!**

 **The _Biashocks_ appear courtesy of my friend, Christian, who asked me to include them for fun. I do not own them.**

* * *

 **Part Eight – Up in Smoke**

 _January 27th_

Beary sighed as he looked out the window as they arrived at the Nashville _Music City Center_ , where the charity concert would be held. The proceeds would be going to Human and Bear Rights campaigns.

He was nervous about performing on stage with Jewel and Fēnglì. Were they ready? He wasn't sure. He glanced over at Jewel, who was driving the _Mercedes_ into Nashville behind the bus, but in front of the Falco large pickup truck and the Barrington van.

They followed into the back entrance for the performers, showing their IDs and invitations, and parked in one location together in the back lot. They unloaded their instruments, got them inside, checked in, and went to their dressing rooms – the _Bears_ in one, _JCB_ in another, with their guests in one last one and sometimes venturing between the rooms.

Beary sat down on the couch in their dressing room, sighing. "This is nerve-wracking."

Jewel curled up beside him, smiling. "Don't worry, I'm nervous, too."

"Yeah, but you don't have to worry about your hearing aid crapping out on you," he responded softly.

"You shouldn't worry about that, either, Beary. Worrying won't do anything but make you worry."

The younger bear laughed. "You're ridiculous."

"She has a point, though," Fēnglì interjected. "Shouldn't we be doing our exercises instead?"

"Yeah, probably… We're not on until evening."

"What are you talking about? We're on around 3:00! The Bears are at 1:00."

Beary lifted his head up and looked at him in shock. "THREE?! I thought we were at FIVE!"

"No, that's when the _Biashocks_ perform, you twit. Honestly, didn't you read the schedule?"

"I was planning on getting a nap! I didn't sleep well last night! Tabs and Tao are still getting used to each other!" he complained unhappily, thinking on the yowls and hisses all night long as the kitten and cat fought over who would get to sleep by his head. "Not to mention Tabs tried swimming in my new fish tank Papa got me." He laughed a little, thinking on his new tank that he'd set up the night prior. In a couple weeks, once everything was ready to go, he was going to get a couple fish.

"Well, let's practice our song first, and then we'll all take a nap?" Jewel suggested.

"Yeah... Instrument-less, though. Just singing." Beary got up.

"Nah, guitar. Make it acoustic," Fēnglì responded, passing the guitar to him.

"Let's let Jewel do it this time," Beary laughed, passing the instrument to his girlfriend in return.

Jewel rolled her eyes. "Boys. Both of you play, too."

"Yeah, yeah." They picked up their instruments, too, and Jewel began the playing, at least until there was a knock at the door.

Grumbling, Jewel set her instrument down and went over to it, opening it up. She knew there'd be no fans backstage until after the concert actually started, and even then it'd only be in certain areas and escorted by security. Her ears lowered. "Oh, the _Biashocks_. What are you guys doing out here? Wearing your skimpy clothing some more to score some points? Yeesh! You have no shame."

"Can it, cub. You bears hardly wear clothing, either."

"Because we have fur and it gets hot," Jewel growled.

"You're too fat to be wearing miniskirts and revealing your belly with a tied plaid shirt, the black-haired beauty known as Heather snapped, an amused look on her face. She was dressed in a miniskirt and a tight top showing plenty of cleavage. Her hair was gently curled down past her shoulders, her lips stained red, and her eyelashes were done up, outlining her green eyes.

Beside her in short shorts, halter top, hooped ears, and pale brown eyes stood Stacy, her brown hair shorter than Heather's, but equally well done. Her lips were a neutral tone, and her eyeliner was not as sharp. She looked in at Beary, a dark look on her face. "Oh, look, it's the deaf-boy," she snarked.

"Yeah, he's so deaf that he has to wear a hearing aid!" the final girl, Lindsay, joked. She was in jeans and a tank top of white and green with many bracelets, and her hair was long and straight. She wore minimal makeup, making her fairly plain. "And his pal, the striped freak!"

Both Beary and Fēnglì shot the girls dark glares.

"What do you want, girls?" Beary asked, arms folded across his chest. He walked up beside Jewel, while Fēnglì stayed more in the back.

"Oh, just wanted to check out the competition. Curious to see if you were still a bunch of fraidy cats or not," Heather spoke up.

"Fraidy cats? What are you talk-ahh!" He jumped back as Stacy flicked up a high-powered lighter with flames that went up almost a foot in the air.

The three of them laughed, doubling over in amusement while Beary breathed heavily, eyes wide with terror.

Fēnglì and Jewel stepped in front of him, teeth bared.

"How can a bear be scared of fire when you have that dopey fire goddess Ugnos or something?"

"That's 'Ignis', you ignoramus," Jewel growled. "Now why don't you three get out of here before I..."

"Before you what?" Stacy asked, stepping in her face. "Claw us to death? I'm afraid, my dear, that if you do lay a finger on any of us, my Daddy will not only have you in jail, but'll take your Mommy and Daddy's jobs!"

"Maybe even that whole _Taylor_ _Enterprises_ , too!" Heather grinned with a smirk.

"Yeah!" Lindsay put in.

Jewel lowered her paw, trying to not let her anger get the better of her. She did not appreciate Beary being tormented the way he had just been. She hated the students at their school who did that – since the _Biashocks_ had only recently graduated, Jewel still hated them, because they had pulled those kind of stunts on him before, including taking Beary's hearing aid and hiding it. But by far, the favorite play everyone had was his fear of fire.

Stacy 'hmphed' and raised her nose at her.

Heather smirked. "Good girl. Now, you guys ready to lose? I mean, it's already in your name. JCB? What the hell is that supposed to mean? _Junior Country Bears_? How immature can you get? He's not even a _Country Bear_!" she laughed, pointing at the trembling teen. "So your name is already false!"

Fēnglì growled. " _Nǐ dàng fù shénme dōu bù zhīdào. Zhǐshì yīnwèi tā bùshì guójiā xióng de érzi bù yìwèizhe tā bùshì wǒmen de yīgè!_ "

They stared at him blankly. "What did he say?" Lindsay asked, looking at her other two friends.

"Beats me. The little chink-a-billy doesn't speak English very well, so he tries to throw us off with his forty-fiver language," Heather spat.

Fēnglì's ears flattened at their insults. 'Chink-a-billy' was an insult regarding that he was half Chinese, half 'hillbilly', while 'forty-fiver' was making fun of the angle of his eyes, which were at 45 degrees, so different to that of other bears. He had heard all sorts of insults before, but that didn't mean he wasn't still affected by them, especially those two phrases.

"The only real ' _JCB'_ here is Goldilocks here, as she's the daughter of two of them. The little bastard child," Heather went on. "The chink-a-billy is only half _JCB_ , and the crybaby is not even on the same scale. Son of a retarded bitch who can't keep her legs shut and a father who is gone more than he's home!"

Beary snapped and charged, but Fēnglì and Jewel held him back, pulling him away from the door and slamming it shut, with Fēnglì parking himself in front of it to prevent Beary from leaving.

Beary breathed heavily, eyes narrow and ears flat at the insults to his family, especially his mother. How dare they?! He grabbed a bowl of fruit and threw it angrily against the wall, watching as it shattered into hundreds of pieces.

"Beary, stop!" Jewel cried, watching as he kicked a table, knocking things over. She grabbed his paw and pulled him back, only to let out a gasp when he spun around and smacked her. She stumbled back from the power of the smack, looking at him in shock.

"BEARY!" Fēnglì snarled, stepping forward and pulling him back away from her. "Look what you did!"

Beary struggled for a moment, then took a deep breath and looked at Jewel, eyes widening and ears flattening as he stared. "Jewel? I... I... I'm sorry..."

She shook her head, paw on her cheek, and looked away from him. "Don't... Don't apologize. It was an accident," she murmured.

Beary pulled away from Fēnglì and approached her. He reached out to her, but pulled back when she flinched away. He clenched his fist and backed away. He went over to the couch and laid on it, back to the others. He took out his hearing aid and set it on the table beside the couch, and crossed his arms, ears flat.

Fēnglì sighed and looked at Jewel. "Let's take a walk and all cool off. They should be gone by now, right?"

She nodded, biting her lip, and let him lead her out of the room.

Beary was asleep an hour later when the door opened again, however it wasn't Fēnglì or Jewel that wandered inside, but a black-haired beauty, who went over to where he slept and looked around for a moment before her eyes settled on the hearing aid. Grinning, she picked it up.

Heather wasn't about to let _JCB_ win the battle between them, and she knew they were the favorite pick of the band they were competing to tour with. It was obvious that it'd be rigged because they were the children of the band. Well, two of them were; Beary wasn't and never would be. He didn't deserve to tour with them, even if they were family.

Smirking, she dropped the hearing aid in the pitcher of water and waited about a minute before fishing it out and drying it off. She knew it was enough to short it out, and with _JCB_ about to perform very soon, Beary wouldn't have time to fix it. If he was really talented, he'd be able to sing while deaf on one side. If he wasn't, then the world would see what a talentless waste of space he was. It was what she believed, at least. She needed to give them a handicap because of how popular their parents were, thus making them popular and their chances increased.

Once she was sure it was dry enough, she put it on the table and looked around the room. That was when she noticed he was twitching and flicking his ears and paws. Dreaming?

Grinning, she pulled out her video camera and began filming, watching in silence as he twitched and whimpered, dreaming whatever he was dreaming about. He sounded a bit panicked, and was muttering things. Her brow furrowed as she sniffed the air. "Ugh, he pissed himself!" She started laughing and moved forward, focusing on the spot. "What a loser Beary Taylor of the _Country Bears_ is!" She backed away and turned off the camera. What could she do with this video? Wait... There was going to be a projection screen behind the bands as they performed, and each one would have a video playing...

A sick grin crossed her face as she left the room, heading for the technical guys.

Beary woke up not long after she left and sat up, eyes wide as he looked down at his lap. "Oh, gods... why here? Damn it!" He hurried got up and locked the door, removing his pants and sticking them in the sink with hot water running. He then sighed, realizing he'd had to change into his concert attire already. While the pants soaked, he cleaned up his fur, face hot with embarrassment at what he'd done. Damn nightmares! He'd dreamed that the flames had overtaken his family, leaving behind only smoldering corpses. That had been what had frightened him so much; the detail was fantastically scary.

He went over to the wall, where his outfit was hanging up, and looked at the clock in surprise. Less than an hour! That meant Jewel and Fēnglì would be back any second!

Jewel... His ears flattened. He'd hit her. He'd actually hit her. He hadn't meant to, but it still happened. She flinched away from his touch now, and looked at him with mistrust. They'd only been together a few days, and he was already beating her. What was wrong with him?

Tearing up, he pulled on his concert attire – jeans, a blue plaid shirt, and a cowboy hat – and sat on the couch, thankful that the cushions weren't wet, but also miserable. Would Jewel ever forgive him? Did she tell her parents? What about Fēnglì? Would he ever look at him the same way again? He'd been so angry with what had been said about his mother that he'd resorted to physical violence.

He looked over at the broken bowl, fruit scattered on the ground, and got up to pick them up, putting the ones he could save on the table – which he also cleaned – and picked up the pieces of the bowl, throwing them away. He then went to deal with the jeans, scrubbing them with dish soap and finally ringing them out and placing them on a hanger once satisfied they did not smell any longer. If anyone asked, he'd say he spilled something on them and washed them clean.

Speaking of anyone, he got up and unlocked the door. Moments later, it opened, and in walked Fēnglì and Jewel, holding ice cream and laughing. They fell silent when they spotted him, and Jewel looked away.

His ears flattened as he watched her grab her outfit – a jean skirt, red plaid shirt, and a suede vest with a cowboy hat – and disappeared into the bathroom. "She's still mad at me, huh?"

"Wouldn't you be if someone hit you because they were too angry to see straight?" Fēnglì asked as he turned away and began changing into his outfit, jeans, green plaid, and a cowboy hat. "Hey, why are your other jeans hanging up?"

"Spilled something on them, so I washed 'em," Beary replied, looking away. He leaned over to the side of the couch and put on his hearing aid, flicking it on, and waiting. The sound didn't pick up. Was something wrong? Had he broken it in his rampage earlier? Dang nabbit!

"You need to cool down. What's bugging you now?" Fēnglì asked, sitting beside him.

"My..." He frowned. "No, it's nothing." There was no use worrying about it. He'd have to figure something else out, as there was no time to get his backup from his parents, and try real hard to focus on the voices of his fellow singers so he was not off key and laughed off the stage, or worse, lose the competition for them. He couldn't stand the thought of those witches winning the chance to go on tour with the band; _his family_. Especially after what they had said.

Fēnglì nudged him and gestured to Jewel, who had returned from the bathroom.

Beary stared at her, other thoughts diminishing when he looked her over. Like usual, she had her plaid shirt tied just above her waist, and her skirt showed off what curves a young she-bear had. She had the sleeves folded slightly, and the suede vest was decorated in beaded flowers – much like Ted's, but without the sleeves.

Beary got up and walked over to her, cautiously holding out a paw with his palm upwards. "Jewel? I... I'm so sorry about earlier. I was out of line, and I never meant to strike you. I understand if you hate me, or want to break up, but... I want you to know how sor...ry... mmph..." he moaned as she stood on her tip toes and kissed him lovingly. He leaned down into the kiss, gently touching her cheek and stroking it.

"I forgive you," she murmured, pulling away. "I know it wasn't intentional... You just caught me off guard. They were out of line, and you were rightly angry. Though, next time, take it out on the couch?"

He laughed and nuzzling her, pulling her into a warm hug. "I promise." He shifted her hat out of the way and pressed his nose against her head, breathing in her scent. "Mmm, you smell nice. Did you put on some body spray?"

"Peach, your favorite," she teased. "Now give me back my hat. We have to get going! Do you have your hearing aid on and ready to go?"

He bit his lip a moment, but nodded. "Yeah, it's good to go."

"Then let's get out of here, boys!" she cried, plopping her hat back on her head, grabbed their paws, and walked with them out to what should have been the greatest moment of their careers.

 _.~*A Holiday to Remember*~._

Jade walked down the hallway to the dressing room that Beary had gone in after the disaster of _JCB's_ debut. Not only did Beary perform semi-poorly by singing the wrong notes, pitches, and playing sometimes the wrong chords, but during the performance, the crowd began laughing at them, throwing popcorn and even a few sodas at the teenagers.

Sitting backstage, watching the trio, Jade had been horrified to see the video that had been put on the projection screen. She wasn't the only one, as the entire band had been in an uproar, and Henry had stalked down the poor projectionist who was trying to fix things to yell at him and demand answers.

As soon as Beary had seen what was on screen, he had run off the stage, not that anyone blamed him, and stormed past everyone, and disappeared down backstage, where he'd been met by laughter and more scorn.

Jewel, at least, had tried to save face and fix things for their performance as soon as the screen was off, and rocked out to a song she wrote about her car called ' _80s Mercedes_ ', which Jade had thought was hilarious. The black she-bear commended her for bringing the crowd back around after the disaster of the first fifteen minutes and diverting the attention and the fact that Beary had ran off.

She was still up there performing, actually, while the band was trying to do damage control with the press that was backstage trying to get inside scoops.

Jade found that she wasn't alone down in the dressing room hallway when she spotted the long-haired she-bear Helen gently knocking on the dressing room door, trying to get Beary to answer her. "Locked himself in, huh?"

Helen turned, startled, but relaxed and nodded. "Won't open. I try." Her ears lowered, and Jade sighed, seeing how upset she was.

"Easy, Rapunzel. Let me try." She put her ear up to the door, listening, and her frown deepened when she heard the soft sobs. "Oh, kiddo..." she murmured. She jiggled the handle a little before hunting down a security guard and getting him to open up the locked door. She then pulled Helen inside and locked the door behind them before anyone else came in.

The light from the bathroom that gave a small line of light across the otherwise dark room, and fell across the form of the sobbing teenager, who was halfway on the couch and the rest on the floor, his shoulders shaking.

Jade let Helen move in first, and she watched as the she-bear hobbled over with her cane and sat down, lifting Beary's head up and on her lap as she pet his ears and hair, whispering soothingly in an attempt to calm him down. Jade watched her with sad eyes. How could something like this have slipped past? Where had the video come from? Who had been so cruel? Why hadn't the production team looked at the video before airing it?! She had so many questions, but no answers, and it infuriated her to no end.

With a frown, she went and turned on the TV, keeping the volume very low, and watched as the concert went on, Jewel singing proud and strong to roaring crowds that cheered her and Fēnglì on as they played and sang... but it wasn't the same. Beary should've been up there with them. Why had he been the only one targeted? Why had his singing and playing been so off? Was it nerves or more foul play?

Spotting his hearing aid abandoned on the floor, she picked it up. It felt damp? Frowning, she gave it a little shake and her eyes narrowed. Digging a claw in, she pulled it apart and growled as drips of water seeped out. Had he dropped it in water? No, he'd never be so careless. He knew how expensive the aids were, and always took care to make sure they didn't get damaged. Someone must've tampered with them... probably the same person who got that video to play.

She looked over at the teenager, still frowning, and sighed. What exactly had been happening in the video? Peed himself, yes, but what was with the twitching? He looked as if he was having a nightmare, perhaps? One so bad that he...

With a sigh, she approached and sat beside Helen on the couch, keeping close to her so she didn't stress too much. "Beary, why is you're hearing aid wet?" When he turned his head and looked at her in confusion, she knew her suspicions were confirmed. Sniffing the air, too, she could smell traces of scents that shouldn't be in there, since only the trio had been in this room prior. Frowning some more, she got back up and decided to do some investigating. "Sorry about this, kiddo, but I'm turning on the light." She went over to the switch and flooded the room with light, blinking in surprise when she noticed the stain on the otherwise pristine wall, the damp floor, and the fruit scattered on the table. Shouldn't it have been in a bowl?

Just what happened here? She looked over at where his jeans were hanging, still damp from being washed. So that video must've been taken today, right? Jewel wouldn't have done that, nor Fēnglì, so who?

She picked back up the hearing aid and examined it, then looked around the sink and water pitchers, frowning when she plucked out a long piece of black hair from one of the pitchers. That was definitely not one of theirs. It wasn't long enough to be Fēnglì's, and no one else had black hair in the trio.

She then turned her attention back to the broken bowl in the trash can. "Beary? Why is the fruit bowl broken?"

"I… That was my fault," he sniffled. "I… There was an incident earlier with the _Biashocks_ , and…" His ears flattened.

"What kind of incident? You won't get into trouble."

"They… They thought it'd be funny to turn on a lighter with flames a foot high, and… and they were insulting Mama, saying she… she was a w-wh-whore and a r-re-retard…"

Helen's ears lowered into her hair at that. "Beary…"

Jade growled again. "So you took it out on the bowl of fruit, hm? Anything else?"

He shook his head. "I… I hit… Jewel," he murmured. "I didn't mean to…"

The black she-bear frowned. "I know you didn't, kiddo, and Jewel knows that, too. You're not a violent person, but what was said to you gave you every right to be angry. Just watch who you take it out on from now on, okay?"

Beary nodded and wiped his eyes.

"As for your hearing aid, I believe you were sabotaged, and I'm going to talk to Henry about it. I have a feeling he'll be pulling them from competition… But before that, I'm going to go hunt down their car and give them a ticket for a… broken taillight." She grinned and walked out of the room.

"She scares me," Helen muttered, while Beary choked out a laugh.

 ** _.~*A Holiday to Remember*~._**

 _Oh oh oh Santa's gonna come  
and make you mine this Christmas  
Santa's gonna come and make you mine,  
oh oh oh Santa's gonna come and  
make you mine this Christmas night_

 _Oh Santa Claus  
If you get this letter  
Please don't make me wait ._

 _Cause all December  
I'll be counting down the days  
So hop on your sleigh  
I promise that I won't forget the  
milk and coo-_HEY!

The _Biashocks_ were furious when their music was suddenly stopped in the middle of their performance of " _Oh Santa_ ". They looked over to the side of the stage, where Henry Taylor stalked towards them, the crowds murmuring and talking amongst themselves.

"What the hell is this about?!" Heather screeched, putting a hand on her hip. She, like the other girls, was dressed in red belly shirts, short skirts, high boots, and Santa hats. Overall, it was rather degrading how they were dressed, but Henry wasn't there to stop them for that.

He stopped in front of them, headpiece microphone on and voice echoing across the audience so they would know what was happen and the _Biashocks_ shame. "Leave. You have been removed from the concert and the competition you made with JCB on account of your behavior and sabotage of the other band. _Taylor_ _Enterprises_ is about equality and lifting each other up, and you have spoiled that. You can consider any possible contract with us terminated because of your foul play, and how you tormented Beary. Taking that video, terrifying a pyrophobic with flames, _and_ ruining his hearing aid, which is why his performance was far below exemplary, is absolutely despicable of you. Furthermore, you insulted my family, and I will not stand for your disrespect. You girls have talent, but you will not showcase your talent here. Now get off my stage!"

Heather turned up her nose, while Stacy spat a few more insults, and Lindsay just looked confused as security escorted them off the stage to a few cheers and some boos, along with a few insults towards the girls, and a "that's what's wrong with American youth today!"

Henry waited until they were gone before addressing the crowd, leaning on his cane. "In five minutes, we're going to have Beary return and properly showcase his talents to you, if you approve? He would like a chance to redeem himself." He smiled in satisfaction at the cheers that rose up. "Great. Let us get things fixed up, and he will be out shortly!" He left the stage and looked over at his son as he turned off his headset. "You're going to do great, Beary, and Jewel's going out there with you. Is your backup working?"

Beary, who had had more than enough time to pull himself back together in the two hours since the failed debut, poked his backup hearing aid that had been left with his father, and nodded. "Mhm. You didn't have to do that, you know…"

"Yes, I did. You're my boy, and what they did to you was unfair. You're very brave for wanting to go back out there, Beary," he said softly, voice filled with a father's pride. He put a paw on his shoulder and gave him a gentle nuzzle. "Knock 'em dead, son."

Beary's ears perked and he smiled brightly. He fixed up his headpiece microphone and looked over at Jewel. "Ready?"

She smiled and took his paw. "Let's go. What are you singing, anyway?"

He put a finger on her lips. "A surprise." With that, he led her out to the stage, blinking in the bright lights, and did his best to ignore the crowd as he set Jewel down on a stool in front of the concert piano, and then he went and sat in front of the keys.

He did a few exercises to make sure the keys worked and to get a feel of them, and closed his eyes, taking a breath. He then began to play a gentle melody full of emotion and love.

 _You think I'm pretty  
Without any make-up on  
You think I'm funny  
When I tell the punch line wrong  
I know you get me  
So I'll let my walls come down, down_

 _Before you met me  
I was alright but things were kinda heavy  
You brought me to life now every February  
You'll be my valentine, valentine_

 _Let's go all the way tonight  
No regrets, just love  
We can dance until we die  
You and I  
We'll be young forever_

 _You make me  
Feel like I'm living a, teenage dream  
The way you turn me on  
I, can't, sleep  
Let's runaway And don't ever look back  
Don't ever look back_

The way he played and sang, with no other instruments but his voice and the piano, showcased his talent for the music, and that the disaster earlier was just a fluke. He proved himself before the audience and to himself as he allowed his emotions and love for his beautiful Jewel flow freely.

Jewel stared at him, face hot with embarrassment, and rocked back and forth to the music, proud of how far he'd come in his piano playing, and the fact that he was playing for _her_. She'd never even heard this song before. When had he been learning to play it? The words made her blush from what he was implying, not that she'd deny that he wasn't her teenage dream. She could only wonder what the others backstage were saying about Beary's choice of song.

The audience, however, loved every bit, and a wave of hands moving slowly back and forth was the view from the stage. A mighty cheer rose up as he finished strongly, voice full of emotion.

Beary looked at Jewel and stood up, taking her paw and kissing it lovingly.

She blushed and smiled. "Behave, you," she laughed. "We still have one more song to do, as asked of us by someone of our family for someone very special in his life."

"Yes, we do." He looked out at the crowd, smiling. It was so much better to have them cheering instead of jeering. "Ladies and gentleman, I'd like to invite back out _The Country Bears_!"

The cheers rose up, the piano was pulled away, and the band reentered the stage with their instruments, with Zeb playing a guitar, along with Ted, while the others stayed on their usual instruments of bass guitar and one-string thang, with Trixie playing her keyboards.

Backstage, Jade looked dumbfounded at this sudden act. When had they all gotten together to learn this and play together? She looked over at Fēnglì, who grinned. "Why aren't you out there?"

"Because it's a duet, not a tri-et," he laughed.

"Duet, huh? You pulled the short straw?"

"Nah, it just works out better with those two."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, just listen and you'll find out."

Jade huffed and listened to the song.

 _[Beary:]  
We didn't care if people stared  
We'd make out in a crowd somewhere  
Somebody'd tell us to get a room  
It's hard to believe that was me and you_

 _Now we keep saying that we're okay  
But I don't want to settle for good not great  
I miss the way that it felt back then  
I wanna feel that way again_

 _Been so long that  
you'd forget the way  
I used to kiss your neck_

 _[Jewel:] Remind me, remind me_

 _[Beary:] So on fire so in love. Way back when we couldn't get enough_

 _[Jewel:] Remind me, remind me_

 _Remember the airport  
dropping me off  
We were kissing goodbye  
and we couldn't stop_

 _[Beary:] I felt bad cause you missed your flight_

 _[Jewel and Beary:] But that meant we had one more night_

 _[Jewel:] Do you remember  
how it used to be  
We'd turn out the lights  
and we didn't just sleep_

 _[Beary:] Remind me, baby, remind me_

 _[Jewel:] Oh, so on fire  
so in love  
That look in your eyes  
that I miss so much_

 _[Beary:] Remind me, baby, remind me_

 _I wanna feel that way_

 _[Jewel:] Yeah, I wanna hold you close_

 _[Beary and Jewel:] Oh, if you  
still love me  
Don't just assume  
I know_

 _[Jewel:] Baby, remind me, remind me_

 _Do you remember the way it felt?_

 _[Beary:] You mean back  
when we couldn't  
control ourselves?_

 _[Jewel:] Remind me_

 _[Beary:] Yeah, remind me_

 _[Jewel:] All those things  
that you used to do  
That made me fall  
in love with you_

 _Remind me, oh, baby, remind me_

 _[Beary:] Yeah, you'd wake up  
in my old t-shirt  
All those mornings  
I was late for work_

 _Remind me_

 _[Beary and Jewel] Oh, baby, remind me_

 _[Jewel:] Oh, baby, remind me, baby, remind me_

 _[Beary:] Yeah, you'd wake up in my old t-shirt_

 _[Jewel:] Remind me, yeah, oh_

 _[Beary:] Baby, remind me_

Jade blinked a bit, listening to the song, and then looked over at Dex and Roxi, who looked quite pleased. "Great song. You guys made it? Damn, you did good."

They looked at her in confusion. "We didn't write it…"

"Then who wrote it… and for whom?" Jade was left questioning this as the audience roared and cheered at the song and the lyrics.

* * *

 **Please review, as I want to know what you all think! Thanks for reading! See ya next time!**


	9. Part Nine - New Year's Eve

**CB does not belong to me [though I wish it did], which is why I write on here instead of publishing my stories in book form.**

 **So sit back and enjoy reading "A Holiday to Remember". Next posting is whenever I finish!**

 **So sorry about the delay, but so many things have happened all at once. Cat being diagnosed with cancer to me being sick, and him dying just as I was recovering - seriously, it sucked, and then traveling about 400 miles from my home to my brother's house to be a live-in nanny, which has kept me fairly occupied.**

 **The story is starting to wrap up with just a few more chapters to go! And then I can get back to BK4 and a special project with the initials ATS. ;) Ta-ta for now!**

* * *

 **Part Nine – New Year's Eve**

Beary was cranky, yet again. He was mad about the fact plans had changed. The band wasn't supposed to leave for their tour until the tenth of January, and now since they were performing in New York City for the New Year's Eve celebration because another band had unexpectedly dropped out, they had decided that they'd stay up there and continue their tour from there instead of going back to Tennessee. While the band and the ones going with them had taken the buses [including the new one they had rented from _Taylor Enterprises_ ], everyone else had either driven up in a big van or their own cars, with Beary, Jewel, and Fēnglì all riding in Beary's '67 _Impala_.

At least Ted and Jade were getting married in a few minutes at a courthouse. It wasn't the wedding of the century that everyone expected, but it'd do the job.

While everyone was in their best, the ceremony would have to be short, as the band had to get ready and do sound checks at the stage. The vows were said, Aiden was the ring bearer, and Ray glared at his new son-in-law as the wedding was completed.

"Daddy, we're married now," Jade said after the kiss. "You can stop your glaring."

"I'm always going to glare at that punk after what he put you through," he growled in annoyance. "And rushing this?!" He clenched his fists.

"Yes, the ceremony was supposed to be more, but this came up unexpectedly. It's not his fault."

"He could have said 'no' to playing tonight!"

"Dad, calm down," Jesse responded. "At least they're married now. That's what matters."

"Shoulda taken him down with my shotgun, more like," he gruffed.

Cassandra shook her head. "Raymond, behave yourself. You have a son-in-law now." She looked over at Jesse. "Whereas you are hopeless."

Jesse grinned. "That's because I have too many women on the side."

The shorter black bear sighed. "Someday, you'll find love, I'm sure. Now then, as for Jade, it's a good thing she was able to clear her work schedule for such a long time to go with them."

"Yeah, because she bullied her underlings," Jesse laughed. "Nah, I'm kidding. She just gave those that wanted overtime her hours for a couple months while she works security with the band."

Ray nodded. "She won't be earning any money from her job during this period, though... At least Henry's paying her." He looked over at his friend, who was laughing with his wife at something their four cubs were doing. Well, two minor cubs, two adult cubs.

Lyra was playing with Trista and Jacob, happy as can be as she sat there in the courtroom while Ted and Jade signed the papers. Her cousins were trying to remain respectful, but they, too, wanted to play with the little she-cub. Their parents, however, wouldn't let them move, as it was almost time to go.

"There! Papers signed! I wish we could have done this in Tennessee, but New York City isn't half bad, either!" Ted laughed, kissing his wife's cheek.

"Could have done worse, that's for sure," Jade snorted, poking his nose. "Too bad I don't get you tonight as is customary because you're going to be performing."

"Yeah…"

"Short notice, I know. You don't have to tell me. At least I get you afterwards. But what are we going to be doing until the next concert?"

"Well… We thought maybe venture around the city and state. Maybe go visit a couple places, like the giant Toys R Us store? I do want to go upstate a bit, too."

"Now that sounds like some fun, actually. I think I'd enjoy that a lot."

He laughed. "You big child."

"Of course!" She poked his nose happily and looked around at everyone else who seemed to be having fun; all but a certain teenager. "Well isn't he moody…"

Ted looked to see who she was talking about and nodded. "He's mad that vacation's basically being cut short and that just about all of us are leaving."

"Well, it is a jerk move. Henry's taking away his entire family and leaving him there alone. That kid has hella issues, and taking Helen and Lyra, while on one hand may help, the problem is that they kept him sane. Mèngmèng and I are even leaving… Granted, Mèngmèng _has_ to go because of her pregnancy and going bananas at home, but the point still stands."

"But he still has the Barringtons!"

"Yes, he does, but that's not the point. Henry shouldn't be doing this to him and you know it."

"But Helen wants to go, and Lyra needs to be with her father… especially since she thinks he's neglectful."

"Ted, she's three. She has no idea what 'neglectful' even means!" Jade argued. "I just think it's a bad idea, but, hey, what do I know?"

He sighed. "This was Henry's decision. I suppose he was just trying to lighten the burden on the kid. Leaving him there with both Helen and Lyra was a bad idea from the get-go. One blind, the other, well, having good days and bad days where she can't remember how to do things... It's amazing he hasn't cracked yet."

"Or maybe he has and you all haven't noticed yet." She shook her head. "Ridiculous, the lot of you."

"Yeah, well... We'd better get going. Gotta get to the sound check and get checked in before the streets are fully closed off."

She sighed. "Yeah... Okay. Let's go."

He gave her a kiss. "Hey, it'll be fun! And this time, we don't have to worry about those _Biashocks_ showing up and ruining things."

"Yeah. Bunch of snot-nosed brats. I don't know why they thought they could get away with what they did. I'm just glad that Henry kicked them out."

"That was quite the show, though, seeing that happen."

She nodded and laughed. "Indeed it was. Now, speaking of the show, that last song all of you performed. Uh, ' _Remind Me_ ' or something? Who was that for?"

He blinked. "You... don't know?"

"No... That's why I'm asking."

He turned shy and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I wrote it for you."

"Wait, what? For me?"

He nodded. "A little while after the fight. I sent it out to the _Hall_ , but I guess you never got it. Beary and Jewel did, though, so they sang it for us."

"And you all rehearsed it in your spare time, huh?"

He nodded again. "Yup."

"You ass! Why didn't you tell me you wrote me such a song?!"

Ted laughed. "I take it you liked it, then?"

"Enough that when you're done with your concert tonight that I'm going to give you a surprise."

"Oh, myyy... That sounds very promising indeed," he teased.

 _.~*A Holiday to Remember*~._

"New York City! It's so busy!" Jewel laughed as she looked out the hotel room window down at the streets in awe a few hours after the ceremony. She, Beary, and Fēnglì were sharing a room together, as they weren't able to fit in anywhere else, as the other rooms had been taken by the various families.

Beary sat on his and Fēnglì's bed, shaking his head. "Too busy, if you ask me."

She turned to look at him. "What's your problem?"

"Nothing. Just annoyed."

"You've been 'annoyed' ever since we left Tennessee for here, Beary," she huffed.

"So what?"

"Well, I'm just going to have to fix that."

"Huh?" He glanced over at her. "JEWEL! NO!"

Jewel took a running start, jumped off her bed onto one side of his, and sent him flying before getting him trapped between the wall and the bedframe. "Winner!"

"Jewel!" he complained, trying to get free but failing. "This isn't funny! Stop laughing!"

She grinned and lay flat on the bed, looking down at him and poking his cheek. "But it's hilarious. And now I have you trapped."

He huffed unhappily. "You're a jerk."

"Aw, but you love me," she responded playfully.

"The bane of my life," he smirked.

She laughed and leaned down, kissing his cheek happily. "You want some help out of there?"

"Nah. Rather comfortable, actually." He shifted positions until he was on his back. "Though, there is one thing you could help with."

"Oh?" She let out a startled yelp when he reached up and pulled her down on top of him.

"You can help me keep warm. Now then, nap time."

She blushed hard at this turn of events. "B-Beary..."

"Not so funny now, is it?" he chuckled. "Now, shh. I'm tired."

"Are we interrupting?" Trixie's voice rang out, followed by a growl from Tennessee.

Jewel looked up at her parents. "Well, not really. I trapped him back here, and now he's holding me hostage. Free me?"

Tennessee reached down and yanked her up. "You two _better_ behave, or I am going to regret allowing the three of you to stay in a room together unsupervised." He then pulled Beary out.

"Yeah, yeah," Beary muttered. "You're still going to be leaving us alone at the _Hall_ for about three months with only a few people to watch us."

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing."

Jewel shot him a look.

Trixie frowned. "Come on, you two. We're going to get some food before heading to the plaza. Everyone else is waiting."

"Yeah, yeah," he sighed. "Let me just find something to wear for tonight." He disappeared over to where they had left their suitcases and began hunting for some clothing while the others left. He sighed unhappily. Maybe he had been too snippy. But, dang it! They didn't have to change the plans on him like they did! And his father taking both Lyra and Helen... What was he supposed to do? Yes, he had Jewel, but what if Tennessee and Trixie changed their minds and decided to take her, too? Same with Fēnglì?!

' _No, no, no. Don't think that way. Jewel wouldn't allow that. She knows what you're like when you're alone. How much you hate it. She wouldn't do that to you, even if it meant she couldn't tour the country_ ,' he reminded himself as he changed into some nicer clothes – non-ripped jeans and a green/blue plaid shirt.

Stepping out of the hotel room after making sure his phone and room key were in separate pockets, he made his way to the elevator and then down to the lobby. From there, he met up with the large group at the hotel fancy restaurant, which was packed.

"There, now we're all in one nook of this fine establishment, we can get ready for food!" Jewel cheered as she and Beary sat next to each other. "Chocolate milk, here I come!"

"You're ridiculous."

"You're not having chocolate milk?"

"Nope! I'm ordering myself a man's drink! Strawberry lemonade, baby!"

She snorted and poked his nose. "You're the one who is ridiculous. But at least you're finally coming out of your cranky shell."

He huffed. "I'm not cranky."

"Uh-huh. Totally are."

"Am not!"

"Are, too!"

"Nope!"

"Yep!" She poked his nose, earning a yelp of complaint.

Ray glanced over at his daughter. "Are they... always like this?"

"Pretty much. Best friends all their lives. You get used to it. Cubs, pipe down! You can flirt later! Now is the time for eating!" Jade called down the table at them, thankful that the hotel restaurant was big enough to have two party rooms as well, one of which was occupied by the large group.

"I see... And their parents accept this shameless behavior?"

"Raymond! They're young. Let them _be_ young!" Cassandra argued, flicking his ear. "Focus on what you'll be filling your belly with and leave the playfulness to the youngsters."

He huffed in response and picked up his menu. "Brats."

"Now, Ray, they're just cubs," Henry argued from beside him. "And they aren't just some bratty teenagers. They're hardworking and well respected in Pendleton."

Ray simply rolled his eyes, while Helen giggled in response.

"What so funny, Mama?" Lyra asked, playing with her crayons on her framed children's menu. She always carried a little frame around to put on coloring objects so she could keep track of where the edges were.

"Oh, Uncle Ray iz bully."

"Bully?"

"Uh-huh. M-Meanie."

"Oh! Meanie! You big meanie! Be nice!" She attempted to throw a crayon at him, but missed and Akela went to pick it up, depositing it back onto the table by the little cub.

Henry blinked a few times. "Well, she's a feisty one."

"Ill-behaved, is more like it," Ray growled.

"Jade was just the same way, Ray. Hush and pick out your food!"

"Yes, dear."

"He's so grumpy!" Ted complained softly to Jade as he played Tic-Tac-Toe against Aiden.

"That's Dad for you."

"Yeah, well, he's weird."

"So are you," Jade shot back. "Don't you dare! Ted!" she complained when he poked her nose.

He laughed and grinned.

Aiden looked up at his parents, confused. "Daddy, why poke Mommy's nose?"

Ted looked down at him. "Because it's fun."

"Oh. I poke?"

He nodded and picked the cub up, setting him on his belly, and let him happily poke Jade's nose, much to her amusement.

On the other side of the table, Fēnglì amused himself with playing with his younger siblings in a rousing game of _Go Fish_ , with Zeb and Méngméng joining in cheerfully. Other families were much the same, with Fred watching over them all quietly. What he wouldn't give to be with his own children or Tyrion. But at least here with everyone, he still had family, one he was proud to have. It was a big family, and sometimes was broken, but they always came back together.

Food was ordered – with the manager of the restaurant coming up to make sure Fred would be able to even pay for his large spread – and everyone ate happily, drank merrily, and spoke gaily.

Jewel had quite a lot of fun constantly stealing bites of Beary's banana cream pie dessert, much to his annoyance. He taught her a lesson by biting her ear... and getting his lip caught on her piercings, much to her pain and annoyance, especially when they had to be carefully pulled apart without too much damage to either her ears or his lips, much to both their embarrassments.

Ray crossed his arms. "Seriously? Damn cubs. Immature little brats."

Cassandra gave him a look.

Dex laughed. "Way to go, doofus. Not every guy manages to get his lips stuck on his girlfriend's piercings! Kinky, bro!"

Beary's ears lowered in embarrassment. "Shut up, Dex."

Jewel grinned. "He has a point. You do have a kinky side after all," she pointed out, running a finger over his ears and giving them a good scratch. He leaned into it happily, purring loudly.

"Teenage romance. It'll never last," Ray added before going back to his own dessert.

This time the other adults shot him a look, though a few had the same thought on their minds. What if Beary and Jewel's teenage romance ruined their friendship if things went south? Would they be strong enough to fight for their relationship? Or would it destroy them? Few high school loves lasted, and even fewer stayed together forever.

Beary and Jewel paid no mind to the thoughts and worries of the adults, for all they wanted in the world was that they were together at that moment, and that they were happy.

Henry set down his phone. "All right, gang. The buses are here. Time to load up and head out!"

Beary's ears lowered, and he sighed with a nod. "Okay, Papa." He looked over at Jewel. "Ready to go?"

"Of course! And your lip is fat."

"Huh?" He touched his lower lip. "Damn!"

She snorted, getting up and letting him help her with her coat. "Musta been the earring. You silly boy."

"Which wouldn't have happened if you hadn't stolen part of my pie!" he complained playfully, following her out of the room and thanking the hostess, telling her that the food was absolutely delicious and to send his compliments to the chef. It was time to head to Times Square!

 _.~*A Holiday to Remember*~._

"Why are you annoyed now?" Jewel asked, looking at Beary in amusement as they walked the crowd, Fēnglì in tow.

"Probably because I'm being a third wheel," Fēnglì teased.

"No... Besides, we're all supposed to travel together. Papa's orders," Beary responded. He sighed and looked out at the large crowd. "It's just... there's so many people."

"Not a crowd person, huh? And yet you want to perform... and you work in a grocery store... and at the _Hall_."

"Shut it, Fēnglì," he growled. "This crowd is a lot bigger, and we're in the _middle_ of it! Not off to the side or on stage, but right smack dab in the center. It's so crowded and noisy that it's wigging out my hearing aid." He put a paw over his right ear, trying to block out the noises.

Jewel frowned and looked at him. "Beary, take it out. We're right here with you and won't leave your side."

"Yeah, but..."

"Do it. You'll be more comfortable."

He sighed and did so, carefully placing it in the protective case in his pocket. He frowned at the low volume of sounds he was hearing on the one side. It always threw him off. "You won't get mad if I don't answer right away?"

"Of course not!" Jewel said close to his left ear. "Do we ever?"

"Yes, actually."

Fēnglì huffed. "That was one time!"

Jewel snorted and shook her head. "Come on. Let's go get our faces painted!"

The two boys looked at her incredulously. "Are you joking? We have _fur_ , Jewel!" Beary laughed.

"So what? They have fur paint!"

"You just want to get glow-in-the-dark fur paint and scare the crap out of me tonight!" he complained.

She grinned brightly and kissed his cheek. "Don't sleep tonight." She trotted off, and the boys had no choice but to follow her.

"Your girlfriend is evil. You know that, right?" Fēnglì asked, glancing at his friend as they followed Jewel.

Beary didn't hear him and glanced over, noticing him staring with his peripheral vision. "Huh?"

"I said your girlfriend is evil!"

"Oh. Yeah, that she is."

"But you love her."

"Of course I love her."

Fēnglì grinned. "But are you _in_ love with her?"

Beary blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Just what I said. Are you _in_ love or do you just love her?"

The older teen frowned. "I... I'm only sixteen. I don't know what you mean."

Fēnglì sighed and shook his head. "One day you'll get it. Mǔqīn explained it to me."

"Yeah, well... I don't really have parents who can explain things like that to me," he muttered in response.

The panda frowned. "They already have through their actions towards each other."

He glanced at his shorter friend. "What do you mean?"

"You're an idiot."

"What? Why?!"

"I can't believe you don't know what I'm talking about."

"Papa's barely home, and Mama isn't... isn't right in the head sometimes. What am I supposed to have seen?"

"Oh. I see what you mean." He frowned. Beary was right about his parents, as hard as it was. Fēnglì pitied him. Sure, his parents were busy, but not like Beary's. "Well, let me put it like this – you love her because she's your best friend, right?" At his nod, Fēnglì went on. "So you love her as a friend, an object. But are you in love with her as a lover?"

Beary looked thoughtful and glanced over at the booth where Jewel sat on a stool getting her fur painted. He loved her, that much he knew. But was Fēnglì correct? Was he only loving her as a friend, an object? Or was he in love with her and everything about her? "I... I think I am."

"Would you die for her?"

Beary shot him a scowl. "I was ready to do that years ago, Fēng. You know that."

"Right, right. Took the bullet for her. Huh. Maybe you've always been in love with her and just never realized it."

"Why are you such a romantic?"

"Hello, look at my parents."

"I don't think their physical activity counts."

"Shut up."

Beary barked a laugh. "But it's true. They're like rabbits."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. It'll be nice to have a break from them all for a few months, since Sawyer and Nolan are going with them."

"Wait, what? Don't they have school?"

"Just kindergarten." He frowned. "Maybe you have a point. They'll probably send them back with us for me to watch."

"Yup. Most likely. And they'll have their paws full with the next litter."

Fēnglì shook his head. "Litters. Good grief. Four of them... What the hell were they thinking?"

"Better you than me!" Beary teased before letting out a yelp when he was yanked over to the stool by Jewel and made to sit. "Jewel, no!"

"You gotta! Do it! Do it!" she laughed.

He sighed. "All right, all right." He looked at the selected colors and picked out a red glow in the dark dye and a simple design. "Fēng, you're next!"

"Oh, hell no."

"Yup!" Jewel grinned, pulling him onto another stool. "We're going to paint your stripes and your panda markings!"

"Screw both of you."

Jewel laughed and shook her head and smiled at him. "Time to get yourself painted!"

Sometime later, when their heads were painted, the three paid their dues and set out again, grinning brightly but also wondering why they bothered. Deciding it was all good fun, they went off to find more trouble.

Instead, they found a group of people dancing to another concert on the other side of the square, and just for fun, Jewel pulled them both into the group and began dancing, too. She bumped hips with both and laughed loudly.

Beary shook his head and did a weak attempt of dancing, trying to not make a fool of himself, while Fēnglì purposely made a fool of himself. However, when Jewel decided to make her boyfriend really dance, Beary's face heated up at how close she was with her body moving. She wasn't doing anything provocative, but it still made him unsure of how to respond. So he just froze.

"Beary, come on and dance! Loosen up a little!" Jewel complained, pausing when she spotted the look on his face. "Is it because you're so awkward? Come on, hon. Dance with me? I'm not going to rub up against you. At least, that's not what I was going for. Holy crap, Beary. You know damn well I wouldn't do that. A few playful hip bumps, but not grinding! We're just kids! Ha, maybe if we were older... I'll let you off the hook for now!"

He looked at her dubiously. "You're... one of a kind."

"Is that a good thing?"

He thought for a moment. "Indisputably." He leaned down and rubbed her nose. "But this kind of dancing isn't my thing. Not in public and such a big crowd... Especially when people are noticing us."

"Noticing us? How could they find us?"

"Jewel, your fur is gold. That is incredibly rare. You also look like Trixie. It's no wonder people have noticed us." He glanced around a bit, noticing those with their phones held up. "Let's just get out of here. It's time to be heading back, anyway."

Jewel glanced around quickly and nodded. "Yeah. I'll get Fēnglì. Stay here." She moved a bit away, but a surge of an unexpected crowd forced them further apart and suddenly Beary couldn't see her again.

Heart racing slightly, Beary called out her name, but was lost over the sound of the band starting up a loud new song. He reached into his pocket, but being jostled around so much, he couldn't get ahold of his hearing aid, so he backed up, trying to escape, deaf on one side. Feeling heat on the back of his neck, het let out a fearful yelp when he turned around and came face to face with a flame breather that blew high flames into the sky.

His eyes widened, and he froze in place, enraptured by the flames. Then slowly he crouched, slipping into a position of fear. He couldn't run. He couldn't hide. It was as if the flames were chasing him. Paws over his ears, he tried to make himself invisible. If only it was possible. His body was shaking in terror. He had no control over that.

 _The sounds of the crowd drowned out in the roaring of flames around him, licking at his fur and melting it. He found himself crying out and coughing on smoke. The_ Hall _burned around him, and his father held him in his arms, trying to protect him from the heavy heat. But all Beary could see was the pain in his father's eyes as the fire caught his leg, burning him. The panic, but still Henry refused to leave his side, not wanting to leave him alone. Besides, it wasn't like he could move anyway – not with his shot knee._

 _Finally, Henry had to sit up and bat at the flames and moved them both very carefully further away from the flames. Then again, they were surrounded, so no matter where they went, they were doomed._

 _Beary knew Henry was speaking to him, but he couldn't understand it. The roar was too loud. Either that, or he still couldn't hear very well. He couldn't decide._

 _Paws on his shoulders, shaking him. Slowly, the flames died away, and_ his vision returned to normal. He wasn't at the _Hall_. His father wasn't holding him. Instead, it was a pair of golden arms pulling him close. Instead of the roar of flames, he heard the heartbeat of the girl he loved.

"It's okay. I've got you. You're safe. The fire won't get you again. I promise." She rubbed his back, feeling him start to relax. A smile crossed her face as she rested her chin on his head, talking into his ear with words of comfort. She wasn't sure if he could hear her, what with his good ear up against her chest and the other being his semi-deaf ear.

Beary could hear her, but couldn't make out what she was saying. "C-Can't... h-hear..."

"Okay." Jewel reached into his pocket and pulled out his hearing aid, turning it on and carefully putting it in his ear. "Is that better?"

He flinched at the sudden burst of noise, but nodded. "T-thank you," he stammered.

"Can you stand and walk?" Jewel didn't want to draw further attention. At least not many were looking over at them, but if they didn't move, a bigger crowd would gather.

Becoming aware of just where he had had his anxiety attack, he whimpered and nodded, just wanting to get back to the stage and hide behind it. Away from prying eyes and cell phones recording him. "F-Fēnglì?"

"Over there." She gave a whistle, and Fēnglì responded, coming over and standing beside them, helping Beary up. "Let's get going. We've got quite a journey, and we've got to avoid any more firebreathers. There's at least three other ones."

Fēnglì nodded, and together, they all walked their way back through the large crowd, avoiding what they could, and generally just made the almost forty-five-minute trek back to the main stage. About midway through their journey, Beary had recovered mostly from the ordeal, and could walk on his own. After showing their IDs and passes, they were allowed backstage, but they tried avoiding their family the best they could. They didn't want to cause a scene.

They had arrived just in time, as the band went up to the stage and sang a few songs to crowds that either roared, some who ignored, and others who didn't care and just wanted to party the night away.

Family backstage watched the show and looked up as the ball began to drop at the end of the show. The countdown began.

Beary glanced at Jewel, and she glanced back. Then they both looked at the couples who were ready to kiss each other on the New Year, and laughed.

"Good thing we're not like that, right?" Jewel asked.

Beary grinned. "Yeah. But, you know? There's no one I'd rather be here with than you. The girl who keeps me calm and saves me from my nightmares. The girl who is my bestest friend and the one I love." He touched her cheek and moved in for a kiss.

Jewel stood there, surprised at what he had said. Was he drunk or something? This didn't sound like her shy Beary. It was as if he was loud and proud. His lips on hers, though... Soft and warm, perfect against hers. This wasn't one of her playful kisses. It was one of his true kisses. Full of love. Had he really said he loved her? The way he said it didn't imply he meant it as a friend, but something more. So she kissed him back with just as much passion, hoping to show that she loved him, too.

Outside among the loudly cheering crowds, voices rose up in song, welcoming in the new year full of hopes, dreams, and new beginnings.

* * *

 **Please review, as I want to know what you all think! Thanks for reading! See ya next time!**


	10. Part Ten - Blizzard Warning

**CB does not belong to me [though I wish it did], which is why I write on here instead of publishing my stories in book form.**

 **So sit back and enjoy reading "A Holiday to Remember". Next posting is whenever I finish!**

 **The story is starting to wrap up with just a few more chapters to go! And then I can get back to BK4 and a special project with the initials ATS. ;) Ta-ta for now!**

* * *

 **Part Ten – Blizzard Warning**

It was now January 4th, and the past few days had been spent exploring the city and surrounding areas. Now they were in Lake Placid, a small town – more like a village, really – at the bottom of a wonderful skiing mountain. It was where they would spend the last few days of their winter vacation, as they were leaving in three days to return to the tour or back to Tennessee or Colorado – like the Falcos were. The Rowans of Canada and the Taylors of Alaska would be staying a few extra days in Tennessee before getting on their flights to return home.

Throughout the entire vacation, most of the more immature adults – namely Zeb – kept teasing Beary and Jewel on their New Year's kiss. Quite a few times, Zeb got smacked over the head by Méngméng who told him to leave the teenagers alone.

Everyone else, however, either hit the slopes or heated pool of the hotel for some fun and relaxation. Even Henry was enjoying himself as he sledded down the hill with his youngest daughter who cheered as loud as she could.

Beary sat on one of the ski lift benches, watching his father and baby sister below them with a grin on his face. "They're enjoying themselves."

Beside him, drinking hot cocoa, Jewel nodded. "Yup. You ready to get back to snowboarding?"

"You mean have another race against you?"

"Of course! And you know I'll win again."

"Yes, yes, and then I'll have to give you a piggyback ride the rest of the afternoon." He glanced over at her and squeezed her paw happily.

"Yup! Because you're soooooooo tall and handsome, and I could just play with your ears all day!"

"Nu, my ears!" he complained playfully, flicking them. He was wearing a stocking cap with earholes to not limit his hearing. It had a little pompom on the top, which Jewel kept messing with throughout the day.

"You don't like me messing with your ears?"

He blinked and looked at her. "No, I like it... except when you do it while I'm drinking my own cocoa, ya jerk."

She laughed. "Or when we're snowboarding and you wipeout because of it."

"You almost ripped my ear out!"

"Then I would have had a souvenir," she teased.

"Ew! Gross!"

She poked his nose and sipped her cocoa happily. She let out a yelp when he kissed her again. "Hey!"

"Mmm. Tastes delicious."

"You ass! You licked the cocoa off my lips!"

"But of course! It was delicious, just like you!"

She raised an eyebrow. "How would you know I'm delicious?"

"Huh? Um... Well... Jewel! That wasn't supposed to be innuendo!" he complained, face heating up.

She snorted and shook her head. "My cocoa." She cupped her thermos, keeping it from him.

Beary shook his head and looked down at the slopes. "Ted and Jade are sledding now. Having a race, it looks like."

"Mhm."

They finally arrived at the top of the ride and got off, unhooking their snowboards from the lift, too.

"Hey, hold my drink. I'm gonna go pee and I'll be right back."

He glanced at her. "There's a perfectly good tree right there," he pointed out, taking a sip of the cocoa.

She smacked his head. "Not in such a public place! I mean I know you just want an excuse to look, but come on!"

He spat out the drink and choked on the rest while she trotted off. "I don't need to! I've already seen you naked numerous times!" he shouted back.

"What was that, young bear?!" Tennessee roared.

Beary glanced back, grabbed their snowboards and put the thermos in his pocket, and grabbed Jewel. "Run!" he yelled before taking off and handing her the blue snowboard. "You can pee when we get down the mountain!"

Jewel snorted and strapped into her board before following him, hearing her father charging after them. She gave her father a wave and disappeared over the crest while laughing at his roar.

Weaving and bobbing down the slope and making a few leaps, Beary and Jewel laughed loudly as they had fun on their boards, happy that Tennessee didn't follow. Finally, they stopped about halfway down the mountain and into some trees, because Jewel wasn't able to hold it any longer.

"Hurry up and go!" Beary complained.

"Beary, do you realize just how much more difficult it is for us females to pee in the woods? We have to squat with our bottoms off, otherwise we'll get piss on them!" Jewel growled out from behind a tree. "So I'm freezing my ass off!"

He shook his head. "You're ridiculous. Ow! Hey!" he cried, wiping snow off his face from the snowball.

She laughed, reappearing fully clothed from behind the tree. "That's what you get!"

"You're a jerk sometimes, you know that?"

"Oh, I know. Hey, do you think they took you literally?"

Beary frowned. "I'm a bit worried about it, yeah. But they know we've grown up together, and about your habit of walking in on me when I'm changing, and then proceeding to get dressed yourself."

"Well, yeah, we both have fur, and you have a cute butt."

"Jewel..."

She nuzzled him. "Beary, it's nothing to worry about. I promise." She reached into his pocket and pulled out the thermos. "Why would they read so much into it? I mean, come on. They know us better than that!"

"You would hope so," he responded softly, face wrought with worry.

"You worry too much. You know that, right?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's in my nature."

"That's for sure. I compliment you perfectly, with my wildness!"

He grinned and wrapped his arms around her. "My wild girl."

She grinned and leaned against him. "You've certainly overcome your shyness, but why? What changed?"

"Well, I'm not exactly sure. I just love it when you smile. It makes me really happy." He grinned at her trilling purr. "And apparently it works both ways!"

"Stop being cute, damn it!" she laughed. She pulled away and opened the thermos, pouring some into the lid for him, and then drinking from the bottle. "Mmm, cocoa."

He nodded. "When should we actually get back down the mountain? It's rather peaceful right here, sitting and enjoying the view." He plopped down on the ground and watched skiers and snowboards race by, as well as looked out at the mountain range and the small village below. Despite his annoyance at his father taking both his mother and Lyra with him on the rest of the tour, for now he was at peace.

Jewel sat with him, their boards leaning against a tree on their sides so they didn't slide away, and looked out as well. "I do enjoy it up here, that's for sure. But I think I love it since I'm here with you."

"Yeah, almost as if the ground is shaking."

She blinked. "What?"

"The ground is shaking. Actually shaking!" He looked out the slopes and looked up, eyes widening. "Avalanche! Climb!"

Jewel didn't hesitate and began climbing the nearest tree, throwing her gloves off and digging her claws into the bark as she moved. She paused near the middle of the tree and watched the cascading snow rumble past.

Beary was behind her on another tree, watching. The avalanche wasn't very big, but it was enough to shake the trees they were in and for a few skiers and snowboarders to get caught up in it. Most were able to make it to the safety of the trees. Beary and Jewel's snowboards were whisked down the slopes by the moving snow.

"E-Everyone's going to be okay, right?" Jewel asked, unable to take her eyes off the damage. Hard to believe that such a small wave of snow could take out some trees towards the more middle of the slope, not to mention take a few others. But from what she could see as the drift ended, most were able to get themselves out of the snow.

"Yeah. This is tiny compared to some of them. I doubt anyone's been killed. Maybe a broken bone or two, but that's probably it. Look, there's the search and rescue people now. I think it's safe to get moving, but let's stick to the trees. If another happens, we'll be more protected."

She nodded and began climbing down. "Our boards are gone... How are you so calm? Aren't you worried?"

"I'm very worried... but panicking won't do much. It really won't, Jewel. I... I have enough to panic about. I don't want to be scared of snow now, too," he murmured, heading further into the trees.

She hurried to catch up, shaking a bit. "But you're so... calm."

"On the surface!" he snapped. "Underneath, I'm just as scared as you! But I'm not a little kid anymore! I can't let that panic consume me! I just c-can't!"

The golden she-bear flinched back and slowed her pace a little, walking behind him. She didn't want to upset him further. She knew better to interrupt him when he was like this – after what happened last time when he hit her, she was a bit fearful.

They trudged through the woods, careful of any loose snow, and started downward through the trees. There was no cell phone signal up here, so trying to call and let people know they were all right was impossible.

When it became too dark to see, Beary paused and shook his head, shivering. "We gotta stay here for the night. It's getting too cold, and we might just walk off a cliff if we aren't careful."

Beside him, Jewel nodded with a shudder. "We have enough light to try to gather some wood to burn. Gotta find some rocks, too."

Beary frowned. "I don't have a lighter or matches. Didn't even think about bringing my emergency pack with me today."

"Me, neither." She sighed. No point in wasting energy gathering that could be better spent searching for somewhere to spend the night. "Guess we should try to find shelter, huh?" She glanced up at him.

He nodded. "Agreed." He reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. "Still no signal."

"No point in worrying about it further. We need to find a place to curl up and try to stay warm." She grabbed his paw and began looking.

About fifteen minutes later, as the light began to die away, they found a cluster of fallen trees and branches making a sort of cave. Both shivering, they watched it and moved closer to make sure it wasn't an animal's home. Satisfied, they moved in and dug out some of the snow to make a bit more of a dip underneath for more room.

Legs aching, the duo sat in the dark, lit only by the dim light of the moon, listening to the silent woods around them and the howl of the wind.

"You don't think they're out searching for us, do you?"

Beary sighed. "Search is probably called for the night. This is all my fault. If I hadn't lead us so deep into the woods, we would have been back at the lodge, sipping cocoa with everyone safe and sound." Feeling her paw on his shoulder, he glanced away. "We leave at first light... if we even last the night."

"We just gotta keep each other warm, that's all," Jewel responded, snuggling up against him.

He invited her in, smiling. "Yeah... Just can't go to sleep is all. Gotta stay warm and constantly move."

"Yup. Or snuggle," she laughed. "Beary snuggles are great." When he didn't even respond, she sighed. "Beary, why'd you walk so far through the trees instead of just going straight down the slope?"

"I..." He hesitated. "I was scared. I know I shouldn't have let it bother me, but it... it scared me. What if it happened again? I had to get away... So far away."

She frowned. Just like fire. He had to get away from the danger and fear. He hadn't meant to get them lost – he'd just panicked without meaning to. She should have stepped in sooner while they could still see the main slope. "I'm sorry. I... I should've spoken up, Beary. I should have."

He pulled her in closer. "Don't get upset. I'm just stupid." He frowned. "Wait. Do you hear that?"

She tilted her head and perked her ears. She did hear something! Voices! "How f-far away?"

"Not far, I don't think." He moved out of the slight warmth of their little cave and looked around. Spotting a light in the distance, he turned his ears towards it, listening. Faintly, he heard their names being called. "Jewel! Come on!"

Jewel stumbled out of the cave, her legs protesting, and grabbed his paw. "Is it them?"

"Uh-huh! Come on!"

 _.~*A Holiday to Remember*~._

Jewel flinched as she heard Beary and Henry having a loud argument from the cabin next to the one she was sharing with her parents. "Do they have to be so loud? It was an accident that we got lost." She shivered as she sat in front of the fire, still trying to warm up.

Trixie wandered over with a cup of cocoa. "Baby, you had us all worried sick when we couldn't find you. We had no idea where you had gone, or if you'd gotten buried..." She sat down beside her, ears low, and put a paw on her belly. "I can understand how he's feeling. Henry, I mean. He was scared, Jewel, and he couldn't even join the search party because of his leg. And Helen... gods, Helen... He could barely keep her calm. She worked herself right up and almost had a meltdown out of fear of losing her baby boy."

Jewel sighed and leaned against her mother. "Oh, Mama... I know we worried you all, but..."

"Jewel, _why_ were you so far from the main slopes?"

The lookalike frowned, but decided to be honest. "The avalanche really freaked him out. He wasn't thinking clearly, and I failed to realize that, and he just kept walking, trying to get away. To be safe. He puts on a brave face, but he's not as brave as you all think he is."

Trixie wrapped her arm around her eldest cub. "I had a feeling he was hiding things, but this fear? He didn't used to be that way..."

"The fire changed everything, Mama," she murmured, eyes fixated on the flames dancing just a few feet from her. "He hides it... He tries to hide it, but he still has nightmares. And on New Year's, he bumped into a fire breather and had a panic attack. Trapped back in the burning _Hall_. He's tried so hard, Mama, but he can't shake his fears. Some days he can handle them, but others, like earlier, just take control and he doesn't think clearly."

"I see," the older golden one responded, voice just as soft. "And I take it his parents have no idea?"

"Hele might have an idea, but half the time I'm not sure if she's all there. She can do basic tasks at the office, but whenever she's home, it's like she can't do the simplest thing. It hits Beary hard. He's taking care of her as well as Lyra and himself. It's ridiculous."

Tennessee, who had walked back into the room after putting Riley and Zak to bed, looked at them both. "Henry has no idea about that. Why doesn't Beary speak up?" He poured two more cups of cocoa and sat beside his wife and daughter.

"Because he stupidly would rather suffer in silence... trying to make Henry see him."

Tennessee shook his head. "Well, it's apparent to me that he has issues with abandonment, along with his fears taking control of him. He really should be talking to a psychiatrist." He sighed. Not that the Taylors had the money for that, not with Helen's medical bills and continued physical therapy, along with the recent surgery on Henry's knee a year ago to realign it after he twisted it wrong. On top of that, the cost of Beary's hearing aid after the one got damaged at the concert by the _Biashocks_. Add in a therapist, and the Taylors would be sunk in a sea they were barely staying afloat.

Of course, Henry didn't want to take anyone's offered money, so that didn't help things. Stubborn old bear.

"As much as it's really not allowed, I'll be his therapist..."

Jewel glanced at her father. "Aren't you a marriage counselor, though?"

"Well, yes, but I'm a sort of therapist, so there's that!" he responded indigently. "That's just where I chose to put my degree into!"

Trixie leaned over her daughter and gave her mate a quick kiss. "We know, dearest. Now, go open a big can of sardines and let's feast."

Jewel rolled her eyes. "Hormones strike again, huh?"

Trixie snickered, watching Tennessee leave. "A bit, but I also like watching his butt jiggle when he walks," she whispered.

The younger bear blinked and looked behind her at her father. Sure enough, his butt was jiggling. She couldn't help but laugh loudly. Her laughter grew at her father's puzzled look.

 _.~*A Holiday to Remember*~._

"This is a bunch of bull! Stop treating me like a child, Papa!" Beary complained, glaring at his father. He was in the living room of their cabin, his siblings – minus Lyra, who was asleep in her bed – also staring at him, along with their mother, who was just as upset as Beary.

"You _are_ a child, boy! Don't forget that. Until you are over the drinking age, you will not be considered an adult. And getting yourself and Jewel lost was a childish thing to do! You could have died!" Henry roared. "Not to mention Jewel! You could have gotten her killed!"

"Papa," Trista began, ears perked. "I'm sure it wasn't his intention to get lost."

"Nonetheless, he did the stupid thing and chose to disappear when he _knew_ we'd be frantic about his and Jewel's whereabouts."

"I have to agree with Papa on this one," Jacob spoke up. "Beary, you shouldn't have left the slope and ventured off. Do you know how easy it is to freeze to death? Even if we do have fur, it'll still happen. Hypothermia, frostbite... So many things could have gone wrong. Yeah, you had your snowboard boots on, so that helped with your feet, but your paws and ears and noses were still exposed. And, Beary, with your hearing loss, if something had happened with your hearing aid, what might have happened? You know how it affects you."

Trista sighed. "He's right, Beary."

"Et tu, Tris?" Beary growled, ears flat.

"Now don't be that way, Bea-Bea," Trista complained. "But Jacob is right, and so is Papa. You never should have left the slopes and ventured off. It might not have been your intention to get lost, but you still left."

"Severe immaturity," Henry grumbled. "That's all it is."

"It was not immaturity! It was trying to get away from the danger!" Beary went on.

"Yeah, get away from danger by putting yourself in danger. What a genius notion," the elder bear snorted. "Do you have any idea what you put your poor mother through? Do you? I doubt it."

Beary had had enough. "Probably the same thing _you_ put her through when you wouldn't believe her about being pregnant with Lyra!"

Henry's ears shot back. " _WHAT_ did you say, you little brat?!"

"You heard me!" Beary stared, eye to eye, with his father, teeth bared. "You put her through the same freakin crap, if not worse! And for way longer! The entire pregnancy! I was gone for merely a few hours, whereas you were gone for months, ignoring her scared cries for you because you wouldn't believe her!"

Jacob and Trista got up, but Trista sat back down when Jacob told her to. They could both see things could very easily get physical. "I've got this, sis. Go make sure Mama doesn't get involved."

Trista nodded and went over to her mother, watching as her husband reemerged from their bedroom.

Kavik frowned, looking around at the group. "What's going on here?" He had come out mid-Beary rant.

"Looks like a dominance display to me," Jacob muttered. "Guys, knock it off."

"Stay out of this, Jacob," Beary snarled. "I'm so sick of him thinking he's better than me!"

"I don't know what happened to make you such a rotten, self-centered cub, but this ends tonight!" Henry growled, stomping his foot.

"Hendri," Helen began, whimpering.

"No, Helena. I'm not backing off this time. I've had enough. I thought we had this sorted, but apparently not!"

"Nothing was ever settled. Not until you figure out what's really important!"

"You have no idea what's important to me!"

"I know what's _not_ important, and that's your family! You don't care! You never did! That's why you lost the pair of us in the first place!"

Henry's ears flattened.

"Beary, enough!" Helen cried, but her voice fell on deaf ears.

"And I'm sick of you getting away with it, and everyone thinking you're great! You get away with everything."

Henry's ears narrowed. "Maybe I should have left you in that fire," he spat.

"Yeah, maybe you should have!" Beary charged.

Henry barely had time to react, so he did the only he could. He grabbed Beary's arm and flipped him over his back into a table, breaking it. He fell to the floor, pain flaring up in his back, and he let out a pained yelp.

Helen didn't know who to go to. Her child or mate. She was torn both outside and inside on what to do.

Beary shook off any help he might have had – which was none, as everyone was furious with him. He rolled over in the wreckage of the coffee table, groaning, and looked back at his family. How could they take his side? Henry was in the wrong, wasn't he? It was his fault that Beary had been separated from his family. It was his fault that Helen had been so badly hurt. It was his fault that Beary had lost his hearing. It was his fault for the fire. Everything... everything was his fault, so why were they wanting him?

Ears flat, Beary huffed and began walking to the front door, stopping long enough to put on his coat and grab his keys, but nothing else, and opened it, feeling the fierce wind buffeting his fur.

Henry looked up. "Boy, you are not leaving this cabin! There is a blizzard out there!"

"I don't care."

"If you leave, you are grounded!"

The teen paused and looked at him. "It's not like you are ever going to be around to enforce it. And don't worry, I'm not coming back. You don't want me here anyway," he growled before slamming the door behind him.

Henry's ears lowered as he realized that Beary wasn't coming back. "Beary... don't go." He lowered his head, and a few moments later, pounded the floor, cursing. How had he let things get so far? Why didn't he diffuse the situation?

"I'll go after him," Jacob growled, throwing open the door in time to see Beary racing off in his car, the lights easily being swallowed up in the whiteout. "Never mind. He'll come back soon enough, I'm sure... When he realizes the roads are too hard to see." He shut the door and looked back at his father. "Papa, let me help you up. Are you okay?"

Helen sat back, crying. What was happening to her family?

 _.~*~._

"Beary, why are we out here? You didn't even let me get dressed!" Jewel complained, sitting in her nightgown and robe alongside him in the _Impala_. She shivered at the cold in the car. "There's a blizzard going on, and we're out driving?" She reached out and touched his shoulder.

He flinched. "Ow... Don't, please."

She frowned. "What happened? I heard yelling before the winds picked up."

"It's... I... I didn't control my temper."

"Oh, Beary... What happened?" She looked at him finally.

"I... I attack Papa. I just got so mad, and..." His ears were flat against his head. "Why? Why do they always side with him? Why am I always in the wrong, Jewel?"

"Beary, Henry loves you. You two are so much alike, which is why you butt heads so much. You don't hate each other, but love each other _too_ much."

"And I still attacked him."

"It's fine, Beary. You can apologize tomorrow or tonight when we get back."

"T-That's the thing. I... I don't want to go back. They hate me. All of them. I've not scored any points, and they all went to help Papa instead of me. It... I can't go back. Not now, not ever. I just need to disappear."

Jewel slapped him hard. "And what about me? What about Lyra? Your mother? Your family? Are you just going to leave us behind? That's not fair."

He blinked and looked at her, startled. "I..." His face stung from where her claws had cut his cheeks, but he welcomed the pain. Jewel was right. What was he doing? "Okay."

"Beary, keep your eyes on the road, dang it!" Jewel growled. "Not that we can see the road. And why are you speeding up?"

His foot came off the gas pedal, but the pedal remained where it was – stuck. He let out a curse and pushed on it, trying to loosen it. "Of all the times for this thing to screw up again!" he growled, punching the steering wheel and slamming his foot on the brake.

* * *

 **Please review, as I want to know what you all think! Thanks for reading! See ya next time!**


	11. Part Eleven - Save Me From Myself

**CB does not belong to me [though I wish it did], which is why I write on here instead of publishing my stories in book form.**

 **So sit back and enjoy reading "A Holiday to Remember". Next posting is whenever I finish!**

 **The story is starting to wrap up with just a few more chapters to go! And then I can get back to BK4 and a special project with the initials ATS. ;) Ta-ta for now!**

* * *

 **Part Eleven – Save Me From Myself**

Pain. Ribs, head, arm, and leg. Hitched breathing. Wet. Cold. So cold and wet. Why? Sloshing sounds filled his ear, his other ear hearing nothing, and a groan left his lips. A taste of blood. Whose blood? His own? He wasn't sure. Where was he?

Wearily, he began to open his eyes, confused. It was so dark. Was he still sleeping? A light sniff to the air brought him to realize that Jewel was beside him. Why was she in his room? Did they do something? He didn't remember her coming to hang out with him. Maybe she snuck in and he forgot?

But why was he so wet and cold?

Moving his right arm around – after finding he couldn't move his left for some reason – he frowned. Water? Where was he? Did he fall asleep in the hot tub or pool or something?

Shifting position, he flinched and wished he hadn't. He felt around with his free arm and let out a startled yelp when a loud sound sounded. He calmed down, though, when he realized it was his car horn. "Oh. I-I-I'm i-in t-t-the c-c-car." Why did his voice shake so much? His teeth were chattering violently.

He attempted to move his legs, flinching as fresh pain shot through them. There was more sloshing, too. But if he was in his car, why was there water? What happened?

He remembered speeding up, trying to counteract the broken pedal with braking... and then losing control. Jewel's fearful scream. His trying to fix things... Flipping. And then nothing.

"C-Crashed... W-we... c-cr-crashed," he chattered. "J-Je-Jewel..." He felt for her, and gave a relieved sigh when his paw found hers. He gave it a squeeze. "J-Jewel?" Was she still alive? Or was he in here with her corpse?

His breathing hitched at the thought. Losing her because of his stupidity would be a curse. What would he do without her? His rock? His love? He'd fall apart without her.

Suddenly, he found himself wishing that if she went, he'd be taken, too.

He lifted his paw, following her arm up to her neck, and felt for a pulse. A choked sob left his throat. There was one. Strong. He gave her a gentle shake, trying to wake her. "J-Jew...el..."

It took some prodding, but finally she opened her eyes, moaning like he had. "H-Hurts..." she whimpered. "S-So cold..."

He wondered where she was hurt. Was it severe? Could she slide over to him and try to warm up? "C-C'mere," he whispered, unbuckling her and carefully pulling her with his one free arm. He knew it hurt, but it didn't matter. He had to get her warm, and by doing that, get himself warm, too. He hoped he wasn't making things worse for her, but feeling her up against him gave him some relief. "H-Hey..."

She breathed deeply for a few moments, her chest hurting badly, and whined softly. "H-Hey..." It did feel good to be free of the water that didn't reach the seat. What had happened?

As if reading her mind, he spoke up. "C-Crashed. M's-sorry." He held her close, feeling her shiver. "M'f-fault."

She whimpered and leaned into him. She wanted to tell him that it wasn't – that he was a good driver – but her voice wouldn't work. She was shaking too badly. Hurt too much.

 _.~*A Holiday to Remember*~._

"What do you mean Jewel's not here?" Tennessee demanded, eyes narrow as he stared at Henry.

"I guess Beary picked her up before taking off," Henry stated, guilt raking his body. It'd been hours since the fight, and was now almost three in the morning. Wait, no, four, not three. Beside him, wracked with worry, was his wife.

"Your kid took my daughter and just disappeared?!" Tennessee growled, pissed. "Are you serious?! Why didn't you stop him?"

"I was, uh, out of commission." Spotting him looking between him and Helen, Henry shook his head. "Not like that, Tennessee. I meant... I got into a fight with Beary, and he stormed off. A couple hours ago..."

"In this blizzard?!" All Tennessee had known was Jewel going to answer the door and then not coming back. "Henry! That kid is unstable, and for him to be out driving in this weather could be fatal!"

"You don't think I know that?" The elder bear rested his head against his paw and sighed deeply. "This is all my fault. I knew that Beary had issues, yet I did nothing that could have helped him. I let things get out of hand, and now... now it's too late."

Tennessee stomped his foot. "It is not too late. We're going out to find them. I'll go get the others. Get dressed, and you better pray we find them alive or so help me I'll kill him myself!" He slammed the door behind him.

Helen's ears lowered, and she turned her head to her beloved. "Hendri? B-Beary okay, r-right?"

He straightened and looked at her. "I'm sure he is, Helena. And if he's not, I'll help him get better. I'll fix things between us. This time for sure." He reached back and squeezed her paw. "I'm going with them. Let me go wake Jacob and Kavik. The more with us the better."

She nodded. "B-Bring him home."

He turned, wincing as his back flared up again, and gripped her fingers with his paws and kissed them. "I promise. I will make this right. We were both hotheaded. Perhaps now we've both cooled down enough. I _will_ bring him home, Helena, mark my words." He gave her a gentle nuzzle and a kiss. "Don't you fret. I'm going to fix this."

 _.~*A Holiday to Remember*~._

 _Slosh, slosh, slosh._

Beary held back a cry as he moved his legs the best he could, each one going slower, trying to keep the blood circulating and unfreezing. He wished he could be like Jewel and sit up on the bench seat out of the water, but his leg was pinned under the steering wheel, making it impossible. Not to mention how little room they had, with the ceiling partially caved in, and his left arm broken.

Perhaps he should try to shift over and have her lay on top of him? Wait, no. Leg still trapped. They had tried that already. Gah, what was wrong with him? Why couldn't he think straight? He didn't want to put her back in the water so that he could move, but if he couldn't get free soon, he'd probably lose his legs. As it were, he had barely any feel in them at all! Not to mention his butt, where the water kept sloshing up.

The shivers had stopped a little bit ago. Was he getting used to the temperature? Or was it something else? If only there was something else he could sit on, or some way to get free. Unless...

"J-Jewel... C-Can you m-move to... the back... and release the c-ca-catch?"

She frowned, but did so, happy to be moving again, and could just barely clear getting between the back of the seat and the semi-crushed roof without screaming in pain. She reached into the water, releasing the catch that allowed the front bench seat's back to fall backwards with a mighty splash. She let out a pained yelp as it fell on her arm, but there was thankfully no permanent damage.

Sitting on the back seat, she reached forward and began pulling him back with her good arm out of the water. "G-Gotcha," she whispered, climbing onto the back of the seat with him, holding him close. Her body screamed at her for the movements, her ribs aching from where the seatbelt crushed them. However, her being a bear meant that she could move better in such situations, and not end up completely paralyzed with pain like humans did. She could muscle through it. Barely. Ha! Bear-ly. Ha, ha, ha!

He whined and whimpered at being moved, the pressure of his leg finally being freed from the imprisonment of the steering wheel crushing it was startling. He couldn't help the scream.

"Shh..." she whispered, gently stroking his head. Her body hurt just as much as his, and she wondered what it was like to have hot blood suddenly rushing to an area that had been very cold. No wonder he'd screamed.

Happy to have him free of the water, she lay beside him, flinching as her ribs protested all the movements, and got in close. Carefully, she rubbed his legs, trying to get feeling back into them again. Blood circulating.

"S'hawd," he slurred while she gave him an odd look.

She knew she had to get him out of the wet clothes – she hadn't had to take hers off, as they had barely gotten wet – but why was he complaining about being too hot? "B-Be-Beary, it's f-fr-freezing..." What was he talking about? Had he been in the water too long? Was that what was going on? When had he stopped shivering, too? Slurring?

A thought entered the back of her mind. Hypothermia? Could that be it?

She sat up when she felt him moving, and realized that he was trying to pull his clothes off. "B-Beary!"

He didn't respond much, other than some mumbling, and she wondered just how long they had been in the car. It had to have been more than a few hours, right? Days, perhaps? No, that seemed unlikely. She'd only had to pee maybe twice? So a few hours at least. Enough that the blizzard had covered their car in snow – why else would it be so dark? If the windows hadn't been covered, they still would have been able to see at least a little. Sure, she'd tried pushing the doors open, but they were stuck fast. No way to get free.

That thought, accompanied with the worry that Beary had hypothermia, added to her fear of how they would be found... and in time.

 _.~*A Holiday to Remember*~._

Dex yawned as he stretched in the cold. He and Roxi had stayed with Roadie instead of heading back to Tennessee with his parents who had to get back to work. Giving his butt one last scratch, he shivered and looked at the others in their assembled group. "So what has my doofus brother gone and done this time?"

Roxi shot him a look, while the others mimicked Dex's question, all turning to Tennessee and Henry.

It was mainly the males in the group, but Jade was there as well, and Ray had left his wife to keep an eye on Helen and to keep her calm. The other females who were pregnant or had cubs to take care of stayed behind – and a certain golden bear was not keen on the idea and had actually gotten into a verbal match with her husband, but Tennessee had eventually won out.

Jacob sighed, shaking his head. He hadn't been happy hearing that his brother wasn't back yet, and that he was causing his family so much grief yet again. Beside him, Kavik looked worried. Unlike Jacob, Kavik was a bit more caring about the well-being of the cub, and had been watching and talking to him for a while. He knew more about Beary than Jacob and Trista, as he had allowed the teen to get things off his chest through his words.

"Jacob, don't act like you actually know what's going through his head," the other bear murmured. "Kid's pretty complex."

"Oh, do tell," Ray said sarcastically. "It's obvious he's a spoiled brat."

This time, Dex was the one shooting glares. "You don't know the first thing about him."

"I know enough, and this running off in the middle of a blizzard seals the deal. He's spoiled rotten."

"Dad, knock it off. Dex is right. You don't know anything about Beary. Does he have hella issues? Yup," Jade replied, while her brother snorted and laughed. "But he's a good kid. He just needs people to help him work through things instead of ignoring him." She crossed her arms and pointedly looked at Henry.

His ears flattened. Perhaps he had been ignoring Beary a little too much. It wasn't intentional, but with him being so mood-shifty and whatnot, Henry had no idea what to do with him. How to communicate with his own child. Had Beary freaked out earlier because he was still running scared from that avalanche and Henry's own accusations? Is that why things had gone so bad so fast?

"So is ANYONE going to say what happened?" Zeb asked, yawning again.

"There was a fight and the kid took off," Jacob responded simply. "That was hours ago. Haven't heard from either of them since."

Tennessee let out a growl. "Can we just get moving to try and find them already?!"

Ray nodded. "I assume you tried their phones?"

"Jewel left hers behind, and we haven't been able to reach Beary," Tennessee responded.

"Well, that's just great... So how are we doing this? Driving and walking? Contacting the police?" Ted asked.

Ray frowned. "We could just be searching for nothing. They could be _long_ gone."

Henry shook his head. "That could be, or perhaps not. But he wouldn't have taken Jewel out like this."

"How do you know?"

Henry didn't have an answer.

Dex scratched the back of his head and glanced at Roadie. "I'm just appalled that he was stupid enough to go out in a blizzard with a malfunctioning gas pedal, let alone drive it all the way out here."

Roadie blinked and stared. "You mean it's still not fixed?"

"Not the last time he told me. Though, given that there hasn't been any problems with it, maybe he did get it fixed..."

Henry looked over. "What do you mean, 'malfunctioning gas pedal', Dex?"

"What, he didn't tell you? His gas pedal's been all sorts of screwed up for a while. It gets stuck and speeds the car up." Dex scratched the back of his head. "It was the wrong size or something? I don't know. He's been saving up to fix it."

Henry's ears dropped. "Then it's possible that they're still around here, and in trouble..." he whispered.

Ray nodded, seriousness slipping over his face. "Let's go. Split up into different groups. Search where you can! Ditches, parking lots, roads, creeks, rivers, bridges. Keep your phones on you and travel with someone else! Move out!"

 _.~*~._

"Alone... so alone... no one... no one wants me. Black sheep..."

Jewel didn't bother with him anymore. She couldn't reach him, and at that point, she didn't want to. She was too cold, and even snuggling didn't warm her. She wasn't as far gone as him, but she could feel darkness creeping in. For one, it was getting harder and harder to breathe. The air was running out. In a fully sealed car with no way to get to air – she didn't have the strength to break the windows any further – they would suffocate in here.

At least they would go together, right?

About an hour ago – at least, she figured it was an hour – the car had shifted and more water had entered, so now their only safety zone was covered in water, too. At least it wasn't rising anymore, though ice bumped into them as they lay in the water.

She shifted position – or at least attempted to before she just gave up and lay there, frozen to the back of the fallen seat. Her own head laying on the water, she, too, began the mumbling as she started to slip away.

 _.~*~._

"Beary! Jewel!" Dex yelled from the snowmobile he rode, his fiancé riding behind him as the scoured the roads furthest from the village. There were no signs of any tracks on any of the roads, so searching was difficult.

"We should turn back. The snow's too thick, and there's no way they'd be out this far," Roxi yelled over the sounds of the mobile.

Dex sighed, but nodded. "Yeah. Let's go." He turned the vehicle around and began the trek back to the village. About halfway there, though, he paused. "Hey... Rox? Am I mistaken, or is there a lump there in that ditch?" He scratched his neck. "I don't remember there being anything there a few days ago."

She frowned. "You got a hunch, huh?"

He nodded. "Not to mention..." His eyes widened and he got off the mobile, swinging his flashlight around and catching a reflection in the snow. Bending down, he picked up a piece of a broken mirror.

Roxi turned off the machine and helped him, also finding other broken bits, followed by the mirror casing and other debris. Glancing up at Dex, she slid down the tall embankment, at least fifteen feet from the street to the lump, and came to a rest at the object. Judging from the fact that her feet hadn't just gone through snow, she sat up and began brushing away the snow. Finding the metal casing of the car, she called up to him. "Get the others here, now!"

 _.~*~._

Voices. Soft, loud, mixed.

Jewel didn't open her eyes. Strike that, she _couldn't_ open them, as they had frozen shut. She had woken from her slumber by the thump, and shortly after, she heard voices.

She attempted to wake Beary, but she wasn't sure if her movements were imagined or not. She was too tired to care. Sleep sounded so good right now...

 _.~*~._

"This much snow and ice, they must've been here almost all night!" Ray growled, hacking away at the ice on a window. "We'll be lucky if they're even alive, given that this POS is stuck in the creek and most likely flooded." He looked up at Henry, who wasn't able to be down at the embankment with them because of his knee, and was instead waving to the rescue personnel who had finally arrived. "About damn time," he grumbled, staring at the flashing lights. Then again, they had all had a hard time getting here, too, so it was understandable that the heavy rescue vehicles had a difficult time.

He backed away, letting the rescuers do their thing, and looked over at the others, all who seemed to be trying to not let their shock be seen. Fools. They should know better. If the boy hadn't run off, he and the girl wouldn't be in such a mess and probably dead. But, lo and behold, the spoiled brat did just that. He had ruined two lives instead of just his own. Ridiculous.

He did, however, keep his opinions to himself. At least for now.

Henry sat as he watched the rescue below him. He felt so utterly hopeless. What had he done? What if Beary didn't make it? Jewel? He'd never be able to look into the eyes of Tennessee and Trixie again if Jewel was lost, or the eyes of Helen if their youngest son left them.

"They're okay," Zeb mumbled, sitting next to him. "They've gotta be, Hen. They're stronger than people think they are."

"Y-Yeah," he whispered back. So why couldn't he feel any better? The tinkering of glass brought his attention back to the present, and he watched as the front windshield was pulled out and broken. Flashlights were shown in through the side windows, and a man began crawling into the vehicle, and his yelp about the cold water and ice brought to Henry's attention that Ray had been right about the flooding. But how flooded? Had the water going through the car flooded it entirely? No, not possible, because otherwise water would have come out the front windshield.

What was taking so long?

Jade stood on the hill with Ted, watching with baited breath. She was trying to listen to what the rescuers were saying, which was very easy considering how still and quiet it was. She found herself praying that the duo would be all right.

Ted squeezed her paw, letting out a sigh of relief when calls for blankets were made, along with backboards. Neither were dead, but they weren't able to move on their own. At least they were alive.

Fred glanced at his brother and sister-in-law for a moment before going over to Henry and sitting on his other side. "They'll get them out, Henry." He put a paw on his shoulder, then looked up as Kavik came over – Jacob going down to offer his assistance as he was in the rescue department.

"They will. Jacob'll make sure of that," Kavik responded, smiling. "No man left behind." He looked around for a moment, taking note of the crowds starting to gather from early morning travelers. Great. Just what was needed.

The rescue seemed to go very slowly for those watching, but finally, almost a thirty minutes later, Beary was lifted out. His body was stiff and unmoving, and ice coated his body, clumping his fur together in glistening jewels. Jewel followed him, her body just as sparkly in the early morning sun. She, too, made no movement or knowledge of being alive. Both were covered in thick blankets and on backboards, neck braces beneath their heads.

Ted went over, staring at the cubs, and then looked at one of the paramedics. "Are they..."

The paramedic sighed. "There's a saying: 'Not dead until warm and dead'. Right now, they're frozen and dead." He then proceeded to ignore them as he helped load the teens in the ambulance and they left. Just before the door shut, the others could see chest compressions being done on both teens.

 _.~*A Holiday to Remember*~._

Hours passed, and no news was given to anyone but immediate family since the teens were still minors. The medical staff at the small hospital worked around the clock to keep the duo alive.

Since the hospital lobby was too small to accommodate the large group, all but immediate family were made to stay at the resort, with those able to call or text letting the others know of any reports.

Helen shivered and shook as she thought of her baby boy fighting death. How had things gotten so bad in less than twelve hours? She was torn up and broken inside, confused about what was going on and why it was happening. Thinking of her youngest son sent her into fits, and eventually Rachel and Trista led her to a more private room to calm down and relax.

Henry sat there, watching his wife leave, and felt paws on his shoulders. On either side of him was Jacob and Kavik, both looking as somber as he felt. He kept running through his mind how he could have handled things differently and changed history around to keep his boy safe.

Beside him, Tennessee and Trixie were silent, their tears long since spent. Their paws were clasped in each other's as they tried to understand. Their other cubs were being watched by Fēnglì, who was trying to keep himself busy as the thought of losing his two best friends was really screwing with his mind.

Finally, two different doctors came out of the two different rooms, consulted one another, and then came over to the two families.

"They'll live," one said, a relieved look on his face.

"But the road to recovery will be a lengthy one," the other went on. "Both had frostbite, but not severe enough to lose any limbs or have permanent damage. However, both had injuries from the wreck."

"The girl had four broken ribs, punctured lung, a broken arm, and a severe skull fracture."

"The boy had three broken ribs, punctured lung, broken arm, minor skull fracture, and fractured left femur." Beary's doctor paused a moment, frowning. "However... there is one injury from the frostbite that may have done damage, but it is impossible to tell. He was apparently sitting in the water for a long period of time."

Henry's ears lowered. "Don't tell me..."

"He may have lost the ability to have any cubs," the man finished, grimacing. "The parts are there, but they may not function properly, if at all. Only time will tell."

* * *

 **Please review, as I want to know what you all think! Thanks for reading! See ya next time!**


	12. Part Twelve - Dancing Leaves Fall

**CB does not belong to me [though I wish it did], which is why I write on here instead of publishing my stories in book form.**

 **So sit back and enjoy reading "A Holiday to Remember". This is the finale of the story, and another book is planned for after this, but I'm unsure at this point about a fourth book, and if there will be, it'll be determined by the ending of the next book. And yes, I'm still working on "Book IV: Tainted Melodies", so don't be worrying about that! I have the material. I just need to sit and write it out. ^^;;  
**

 **Thank you for taking this journey of the AU series with me, and I hope you stick around for the next one! I'm not sure when it'll be released, as I'm going to take my sweet time with it, making it just perfect. And, unlike the rest of the AU series, I will be working on it with someone who knows about the subject, just so I can make sure I get it right, as it's something that'll touch everyone personally in one way or another.**

 **Thanks again for sticking around and leaving your reviews! They make me so happy, you have no idea!**

* * *

 **Part Twelve – Dancing Leaves Fall**

How much things can change, and how quickly. Just a few months before, everyone had been mostly happy, pleased with how life was going, and then it all changed within a matter of hours.

It was nearly three months after the accident, and while Beary and Jewel had recovered physically, the damage psychologically was still there. It took a long time to get either of them to get into a car without a panic attack – they spent school days – once they were able to return – walking to the town instead of driving, both terrified of ever being trapped again.

When Beary had been told of his possible permanent damage, he had fallen further into himself and pulled away from Jewel, miserable that if things ever did progress between them, he couldn't give her a future. Give her any cubs that she may have wanted. It was over for him, or so it felt.

"I'm coming in!" Jewel screeched before kicking open the door to his bedroom and striding right in and slamming the door behind her. "Okay, buster, I've had enough of you just lying around moping and pushing me away! I love you, and no matter what is going on with you, that's not going to change, got it?" She glared at the startled figure on the bed, her paws on her hips.

Beary stared at her, jaw dropped. He had been lying in bed half naked, the room too hot around him, and now here she was, yelling at him. With a shriek, he pulled his blanket up to his neck. "Jewel! Get out!"

She glared at him for a few seconds more, but the look on his face and with the blanket... she was doubled over laughing in no time. "Do you realize how stupid you look?!"

"Jewel! Y-You shouldn't be here! No one's home!"

"Oh, calm down, you panzy. It's not like we're going to hook up just like that. Yeesh." She snorted a bit more and jumped up on the bed beside him. "Are you still on about the lack of babies? Come on, Beary, anything like that is a long way's off. Things could change."

"Yeah, and there's no way of really knowing for sure unless..." He looked down.

"You go to a sperm bank?" she teased, her smirk dropping when she realized that he wasn't messing around. "Hey..." Her fingers found his cheek, and she lifted his face to look at hers. "I'm just kidding, Bea-Bea." She scooted closer to him, snuggling up to his side.

He frowned. "'Bea-Bea', really?" He scowled a bit, but ended up laughing a little. "You're as bad as Tris."

"There's my smile," she purred, licking his cheek. "I've missed it." It wavered, and her ears drooped. "Hey, how about you talk to me? Instead of shutting me out, I mean. Please?"

He hesitated a moment, but finally nodded. "I... I just so wanted to... to provide a future for us. A next generation. Yeah, I know, way too early to even be talking about that, but... But I've known for a long time that I was in love with you – I needed Fēnglì to spell it out for me, actually. But now? What is the point of bogging yourself down with me?"

"I believe it's my choice on whether or not I want to bog myself down with you, Bea, is it not?"

"Well, yeah..."

"And do you want me gone?"

"No!"

"Then stop with the dark thoughts and just realize that I'm here to stay." She moved her paw from his cheek and squeezed his paw. "I didn't almost die with you because I was just going to up and leave you. If I was going to, I would have left you in that water instead of trying to save you."

"Well... yeah, I suppose that's true." His ears lowered at the memory of their almost-death. "But I'm still damaged. Again."

"You really think I care about that? Honestly, I don't care. Our future might not be possible with cubs, but I don't care. I'll have you, and that's all that matters to me."

"Until your friends start having babies and you can't," he grumbled.

"You don't know that for sure. Neither do the doctors, so knock it off before I do it for you."

He blinked. "Do what now?"

"That... didn't come out right," she laughed. "Ignore what I said."

"Did you just..." He buried his face in his paws, laughing. "Jewel, I swear..."

She snorted and patted his face. "Aw, man. I'm hopeless."

"You definitely are _something_ , that's for sure."

After a few minutes of trying to avoid looking at each other – les they fall into a fit of laughter – Jewel finally had to ask. "So, why don't you have a shirt on?"

"Well... It was a bit stuffy in here, and I just didn't feel like getting all the way dressed, mainly."

"Stuffy, huh? Guess me being so close must be making it worse, huh?"

"What? No. I've missed you," he whined, pulling her back when she tried to leave. "I... I know that you're right and that I've been stupid. You're usually right about these things. But... Everyone, when they do talk to me, always tiptoes on things like cubs around me. Even Tris is a bit nervous about her new litter and my reaction to it, not to mention your aunt and uncle. I just..."

"It makes you feel worse, huh? And so you pushed us all away. Ignored us. Even me." Ears drooping, she sighed and leaned against him. "You know better than to push me away. I'm your rock."

"And I almost sunk you. Literally. Don't think I don't know that's why your parents aren't very friendly with me anymore. Even Trixie..."

"I know, I know. And yet, they let me stay here with you. Unguarded. Free to do as we pleased. So either our families are the stupidest ever, or they really do love and trust us."

"Only because they had to get back on the road."

She growled a bit. "You're just going to be mopey, aren't you?"

"Kinda my thing, yeah."

"You'd better stop."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

She tackled him, pinning him down on the bed. "Because I can crush you."

Something about the shorter, lighter bear holding him down made him laugh loudly. It was just ridiculous, that she was threatening to crush him.

"What? Why are you laughing?" She tilted her head, still holding him down.

"Because you're silly."

"Oh, I'm silly?" She looked down her nose at him.

"Yup! Most definitely. I'm afraid there's no cure for it. Well, other than..."

She frowned, flicking an ear. "Other than what?"

"Oh, you know. A couple kisses."

"Oh, really? Hm... Do I want the cure or not? Such a tough decision." She looked him over. "Well, you are hot, funny, playful..."

"Paranoid, anxious, and a pain in the ass, too, right?"

She snorted. "I see past all that. If you haven't scared me off with your issues yet..." A grin crept across her face. "And now, you're allllllllllll mine. Don't have annoying adults to walk in on us... we could get away with anything."

"Yeah, like giving you the cure for your silliness."

"Hm... that sounds like a plan," she teased, leaning down and laying her lips on his.

 _.~*A Holiday to Remember*~._

"Papa! Papa!" Lyra yelled, trying to get her father's attention while he slept on one of the benches. Behind her, Akela sat in the aisle a bit of a ways away, watching. Lyra, meanwhile, climbed up, feeling around, and then jumped on her father. "PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Henry let out a yell and fell into the middle of the aisle. He opened his eyes and blinked several times, startled to find the little ashen brown cub on top of him. "Um... hi. What are you doing?"

"Making a nest!" she giggled, patting down his fur and clothes, and then curling up on top of him.

He scowled a bit. "Really? On top of me?"

"Yup!"

He sighed and laid his head back. "Fine. But your mother is going to complain about it."

"Oh, no. I think funny," Helen laughed, watching from the opposite bench. Normally, the duo would have been sleeping in the back bedroom of the new bus, but they had let Méngméng and Trixie take it over after the two had their cubs right around the same time. So now the back bedroom was a nursery of sorts. Thankfully, they would be home within a matter of hours and could properly get set up in their cabins. For now, fortunately, the babes were all asleep, much to the relief of the adults in the bus.

The older cubs that had gone with the band – Lyra, Riley, Zak, and the Seillean twins Sawyer and Nolan – were on the other bus so that they didn't wake up the infants. Well, all but Lyra, who couldn't be separated from her parents, and instead spent her time bugging Henry.

Henry looked up at his wife with a huff. "Well, I think I finally won her over at least..."

Helen nodded and purred, reaching out and stroking his face lovingly. "Beary, too."

He frowned. "No... I've probably made things worse. Took you and Lyra, but... but left him. I mean, they'll be coming with us next time, I know, but... I should have brought him."

"Hendri..." she murmured, still holding his cheek. "It okay. He okay. You fix when home."

"Yeah, yeah, after the concert tonight, I know. Huh, I wonder if they've even gotten things ready... It was their only task while being grounded..." Noticing her annoyed look, he sighed. "I couldn't let them get away scot free after what they did, Helena. They could have died. They should have died. I don't know how they survived. I really don't."

On his chest, Lyra lightly snored, happy to be against her father safe and warm. Henry studied her for a moment before resting his head back on the floor and looking at his wife. "I will fix this, Helena. I promise. No more tours for me until Beary can join us without missing school. I'll let Ted handle it, if he can, or Fred. Fred would be good, I think."

She nodded again. "Beary go office?"

"Come with me to work? Sure. He can do that this summer. See what it is I actually do. It'd be great for him, and he could finally understand... right? What keeps me so busy?"

"Help!"

He nodded again. "Yup. And now I have another chance to fix things. Be there for you this time." He reached up, paw resting on her belly.

She laughed. "Ridiculous."

He snorted. "Yeah, I thought for sure Jade was going to kill me when she found out. 'No more being unsupervised!'"

Helen giggled until she was crying.

"You think we should tell them we were just joking?"

"No! Funny!"

"Especially with all the cubs around us now. Another one would just... jeez. How many do all of us have now?"

She looked thoughtful. "Twenty-five?"

"Wait, no. Twenty-six next generationers, plus some grandkids." Henry looked surprised. "And all but two are under the age of eighteen."

"Yup!"

"So many cubs."

"Uh-huh."

"Yeah, let's not add another. Leave that to the youngens," he laughed.

"Beary Jewel next!"

His ears lowered. "No... Most likely not. Not after what happened."

Own ears drooping, she realized what she had said. Sometimes, she forgot about the accident and his sickness, and what it had done to her little boy.

"Hey..." Henry sat up carefully, moving the sleeping Lyra to the bench beside him, and sat behind his wife, holding her close. "I'm sorry, honey. Like the doctor said, only time will tell. Maybe it shouldn't have been mentioned to him, and I still can't believe the doctor told him, but perhaps it's a good thing that he was told now rather than down the road when he keeps trying for a cub and can't father one."

She nodded, whimpering. "Unfair."

"It is... and it's my fault. If I had kept my cool that night... It's..."

"Stop blame. No blame. No one. Please."

"Okay, Helena... Okay." He sighed. "But I do hope that they've gotten things ready. We're barely going to have time to do the sound check because we're running late."

 _.~*A Holiday to Remember*~._

Beary sat up with a gasp. "Oh, crap! Jewel!" He grabbed his shirt off the edge of his bed – sending his kitten flying as he hadn't realized it was there – and pulled it on.

Jewel sat up, the panic in his voice sending her reeling as she grabbed her own shirt. "What? What's wrong?"

"The concert! We have to finish getting things ready!" He raced out the door, and she followed, happy that she only had to fix her shirt, flying down the stairs behind him.

Reaching the _Hall_ , they found Fēnglì and Big Al working on the stage, setting things up. Big Al said nothing to them, but Fēnglì blurted out the first thing that came to his head. "Did you make babies?"

Faces heating up, they shook their heads. "We're not like your parents, Fēnglì! Yeesh!" they yelled back together.

Big Al doubled over with laughter at that one. "Just makeouts, huh? Those are fun, too."

"Indeed," Jewel grinned, while Beary gawked at his uncle. "Where's Faye, Big Al?"

"She's watching Isabel backstage. Little tot kept getting into things," Big Al explained, talking about the daughter that he and Faye had adopted over Christmas, which was why they hadn't been home in Pendleton.

"How is Isabel today?" Beary asked as he went over to help his uncle with the stage lights.

"She's settled in and tried to flush Faye's phone down the toilet." He snorted a bit and shook his head. "Of course, after that, she stuffed a whole roll of toilet paper down the toilet, so I spent the morning trying to get it out."

Jewel cackled. "Sounds like a fun way to spend the morning!"

"Whereas you two were sharing scents?" Big Al asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's just addicting. You always crave more," Beary responded. He had always been more open with Big Al about things; more than his father. At least Big Al was always there.

"It is addicting. But just be careful with your intentions. Don't go too much further than you have until you're older, okay?"

The teen nodded. "I know, uncle. If that ever happens, it won't be until we're more prepared for any, probably impossible, consequences."

"Good lad." He smiled. "You're as smart as your daddy. Just like him, too."

"No, I'm not."

"Actually, you are. Henry was a hothead when he was younger, too, and still is at times. You take after him in personality. Probably why you two don't get along very much. Too much alike, if you ask me. It's rather amusing, but sad."

"Yeah, well..." He sighed, tying a rope off. "I just wish he was as easy to talk to as you are. He just don't know me, and..."

"And you don't know him," Big Al finished, releasing the rope after making sure it was secure. "And you're still mad that he took your mother and Lyra, huh?"

The teen scowled. "Of course I'm still mad. He just... left me here."

"Yeah, that was wrong of him, but keep in mind – you had school, and he had to keep the boys in line. I'm sure that before next tour things will change, Beary." He wasn't lying, either. He knew that Henry and Helen were going on their last tour; that the time for them to pass the torches to the next alphas of their little clan. He was sure he knew who'd they pick, but he'd not say. He could be wrong, after all.

He looked over at Jewel, who was helping Fēnglì with the mopping and cleaning the main floor, making it sparkle and shine. The Barringtons would be here soon to help with the concessions as per usual, and Dex and Roxi would be coming out for a break from studying for one night to help take tickets.

"Yeah, yeah," Beary muttered before going over to the microphone and giving a mighty yell into it that caused Jewel and Fēnglì to jump out of their skins and give him dark glares. Beary simply grinned. "Well, the microphone works! Let's try the others!"

"NO!"

"DON'T YOU DARE, BEARY!"

Beary did dare, however, but did these tests much quieter, this time actually listening to the microphone releasing through the speakers of the massive building. Satisfied, he went back to help his uncle, who shooed him off to see if his other family was here.

Excited, he leapt off the stage and jogged across the building to the kitchen and went out the side door, looking around for his adoptive parents' van. To his delight, he had arrived just in time to see them pull up. He held open his arms for Kristina to jump into, and she accepted the invitation as soon as she was able to get out of her seat, laughing and hugging her furry brother. "Hiya, Kristi!"

"Have you gotten less furry?"

"Well, it is shedding season, so yes," he laughed, picking her up and spinning her around. He always liked visits from his younger non-furry sister. They got along well, and usually got up to some sort of mischief together with Dex as their target. "What are we going to do to Dex this time?"

She took on a thoughtful look. "We could, um... I know! Park his car on the other side of the building so he can't find it!"

"Yeah, that'd be great!" He grinned a bit, not even thinking about it, and set her down. "But first, let's help Mom and Dad get things set up, shall we? It'll be a while before Dex shows up, anyway."

"Should we do anything to Roxi? I like her. She's fun!"

"Hm... I can't think of anything at the moment. She'll be just as confused as Dex about the missing car," he teased.

"Yeah!" Kristina grinned and then lead her bear brother over to their parents, grinning while they were hugged. Allison was dwarfed by her tall son, while Norbert was at eye level.

"I hear the bakery's been busy, along with your boat shop?" Beary asked.

They both nodded and went on to explain that with the spring came Easter and bake sales, and people wanting boats for fishing and water activities. They had come to the busy season, so the time to see Beary was few and far in between. As it was, they hadn't seen him in almost two weeks because of how busy they were.

"And you? How have you held up?" Allison asked, looking at her almost-birthday-boy. Just a few more days!

"Well, Jewel and I shared the scents," he responded, blushing a little.

Norbert blinked. "Shared the scents?"

"They made out, Norbert," Allison laughed. "And I'm assuming you went no further than shirts?"

"Definitely not. Not like anything would come of that, but no. Only shirts."

Allison nodded. She knew how important the sharing of scents were to bear couples, and she knew for Beary and Jewel, for whom it was obvious they were in love, it was the next step in their evolving relationship. It wasn't for sexual reasons, but for love and physical contact. "Good boy."

He laughed. "I'm coping, for now. Getting things ready for tonight." His ears drooped a bit. Tonight his father would be home again, and he wasn't sure he was ready for that. What if Henry was still angry with him? Beary barely remembered the days and weeks following the accident, but he knew his father had been there, at least a little. Then he was gone, along with the rest of his family and the band, leaving Beary behind once more.

Beary sighed and went to bring in a bucket of supplies to the kitchen, deep in thought. Should he apologize to his father for his actions? He was lost and confused. He wanted to have a good relationship with Henry, but how? Would his father even take him back? Allow him to beg for forgiveness? Did he even want forgiveness? What if Henry didn't want anything to do with him after all? What if he banished him from the _Hall_?!

"Beary?"

He was pulled from his thoughts by his mother's voice, and he looked at the redhead. "Huh?"

"He loves you, Beary. It's just hard for him to show it, but it's true. He constantly calls us to find out what's going on with you and what you've been up."

He frowned. "Why doesn't he call me?"

"Because," she responded, "he's afraid he might make things worse between the two of you. He'd rather wait until you're face to face."

"Then why didn't he stay here instead of leaving?"

"Because he has to control the band and keep them in line, kiddo. That's all. When he gets back, he'll back in his office, welcoming new talent, such as _JCB_." She smiled at her bear cub. "And you'll be joining him at work, too, last I heard."

Beary blinked. "He wants me to go to work with him?"

"After school and on days when you have no school. You and Jewel will be getting a summer internship at the company. Did you not know?"

"No... I didn't."

"Oh. Well, he told me to let you know not to really make any summer plans."

"Well, that won't be a problem, considering we don't have our jobs at the grocery anymore," he muttered. They had been let go because of constantly being late due to their fear of being in a car. "At least we got a job again and don't have to worry."

"And now that Fēnglì is fifteen, too, he will be joining you two. All three of you will start from the bottom and work your way up."

"But why?"

"To gain a perspective on how the music industry works, basically. He called earlier about it and explained everything. And since you three are interested in being a band, you need to find out how these things work so you'll have proper respect for those that work there."

"Huh. Makes sense. I'll mention it to Jewel." He smiled a bit. If his human mother said that Henry loved him, it must be true. She wouldn't lie to him, right? Then again, she did lie about him being adopted... oh, wait, no she didn't. He'd just been held hostage. A snort left his lips at the thought and all the trouble it had cause, but also all the relief and new sense of life he had. Yet, he was still confused.

"Don't forget, you're still my son and you can talk to me about anything, darling," she comforted, reaching up and petting his ear. "I know we met under odd circumstances, but you are still my little cub and I love you. Don't forget that Henry and Helen aren't your only parents."

Beary smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'll try. I got lucky. Two sets, two different values, but still all the love."

"Now you're starting to believe it." She pulled him in for a hug. "You've gotten so tall over the years..."

"Well, yeah. I'm growing up, Mom. Almost seventeen now."

"Hard to believe so much has changed in only seven years..."

He nodded. "Yeah. I've actually got a girlfriend now. Dex said it'd never happen."

She laughed. "Jewel's a good choice for you. Best friends since the day you met!"

"We know everything there is to know about each other. I know her faults and she knows mine. Heaven and Caelo forbid we ever become enemies." He laughed a bit before sighing. "Mom? Do you think we'll ever be comfortable in cars again? I just... I can't stop thinking about that night. Being so cold and... It was so dark, Mom, but I swear at one point I saw a light or something. Is that weird?"

"No, honey, it's not weird. You and Jewel did practically die. It was a miracle they were able to get you back at all, and an even bigger miracle that you two came back with no permanent damage."

"You mean Jewel didn't come back with permanent damage," he muttered.

"You may or may not have lost your ability to bear cubs, but you are still alive. Here with us. With Jewel. Your family and friends. Having children is not everything, my love. What matters most is being with the one you love. You can always adopt, you know."

"Yeah, maybe."

"Besides, you have many years before you have to worry about such things. You're graduating next year, and then you have college."

"Yeah, but I don't know what I want to study. I guess Papa wants me to do the music business program, but I also want to do art."

"You can try to do both, you know. I know you've talked about going to the School of Music in Nashville. They offer an art program."

"I'll try, Mom. I will." He smiled at her.

"Good boy. Now then, let's get going on the food and make this homecoming concert a success!"

 _.~*A Holiday to Remember*~._

As the concert finished up, the crowds left and cleanup began, Beary picked up a broom and worked on sweeping up any garbage. He turned to ask Jewel something, but found her gone. In fact, he had found almost everyone gone except... Ears lowering, he turned away from the older bear that was walking towards him. He had been dreading this moment all night, and now it was here. Would his father belittle him? Talk on friendly terms? His mom had said that Henry loved him, but there was still the fear in the teen's heart and mind that his father was finally coming to reject him and turn him away.

Henry, too, had many feelings and thoughts going through his head. Would Beary listen to him? Would he understand where he was coming from? He never meant to belittle the teen on any occasion; it just always ended up that way. Maybe he wasn't cut out to be the great father Helen always told him he was. However, he had to try and fix things with his youngest son; try to get things back on track and try to repair any damage that hopefully wasn't irreversible in the young cub's mind.

Leaning on the mop, Beary half wondered if he shouldn't walk away and turn off his hearing aid, but the other part of him wanted to hear what he might say. But what if he started up again? He didn't know what to do exactly. Hearing the _tap, tap, tap_ of his father's cane brought him back once more to the fire, and what Reed Thimple had done to Henry to try and kill them both. That his father had rushed back into the burning building to try and save him. That he had put him in the fireproof suit with oxygen instead of himself. Maybe they wouldn't have the problems they had now if Henry hadn't done any of that? Then again, that meant that Beary would have died. It was a very complex and troubling thought.

Once Henry finally reached Beary, he stopped and looked at his son with a sigh. "Beary, we need to have a serious talk..." His eyes roamed over his son and he waited calmly to see some sort of reaction come from the cub's face.

Beary's ears simply lowered. "I know," he murmured softly. He didn't want to turn around, afraid of seeing disappointment in his eyes. Henry had always been his hero, well, at least ever since he knew him, but lately, that faith in him was shaken. Beary knew he was a big disappointment to his father and the rest of his family.

The older bear wasn't sure where to begin, but he put his paw on Beary's shoulder. "I know things have been... very strained between us lately."

The very slightly shorter bear flinched. Last time he'd felt his father paw, it was because Henry was throwing him into a table after Beary had charged him. "Yeah... I'm just... stupid."

"I think that statement should be more directed towards me." Henry shook his head. "Or perhaps both of us, to be truthful."

"I'm sorry I'm a disappointment, Papa. I'll never be as good as Jacob or Trista. I'm not the perfect son for you and Mama."

"Jacob and Trista aren't perfect, either, you know. We had our battles with them, too."

He frowned. "You did?" His ear flicked, curiosity picking up. His parents always seemed to like them more, though?

"They're just older and have learned to pick their battles more carefully."

"Oh." He sighed. "Papa? Can I ask a question?"

"Sure." Henry frowned. Why hadn't Beary turned around yet?

"Why did you and Mama have me? Jacob said you had never wanted another kid, not to mention I was a very sick cub – not that I'm not sure what I was sick with, so why? You didn't have the money to take care of me and with my sicknesses, and you were sinking under. He said that you never really took care of me, either... So why didn't you just abandon me?" He had been wondering this for a long time, really. "You didn't want another child..."

Henry frowned and thought on this for a long few minutes. "Well, just because at the time I didn't want another cub, doesn't mean I didn't love you. See, you'll do anything for your children. Even if you didn't originally think it was a good idea. Lots of cubs are born without their parents being properly prepared. Look at Aiden, for example. Ted and Jade were not ready to have a cub, and yet they still did. Same with myself. I wasn't ready for you, but when the time came, I knew I wasn't going to love you any less than I did your brother and sister. And in such, as being my son and my loved on, of course we couldn't just abandon you. We were going to do whatever it took to help you get better and stronger."

"Then... then why lose me?"

He flinched, ears lowering. "That was a mistake I wish I had never made, but in the end, it turned out for the better. You were raised with a good family, and they were able to take better care of you than I could at the time."

Beary finally turned to look at him, eyes lowered a bit. "But now? Do you still want me, despite that we... don't... I don't know. I don't hate you. I'm just... scared. I... I don't like being alone."

"Of course I still want you! If I didn't, I wouldn't be standing here trying to figure out how to fix this."

"Even after all I said and did?" he asked, this time actually looking into his eyes, his own filling with tears that he tried to keep back.

"You're my son. I should have expected nothing less than stubbornness from you," Henry mused aloud. "It really shouldn't have surprised me any. You've always been a stubborn cub."

"Uncle Al said that I was just like you? I don't believe him. You're smart, brave, and all that stuff. I'm nothing like you."

"It took a long time for me to become brave, and that was only thanks to Sgt. Falco."

"Jade's dad?"

"Mhm."

"But how did he make you brave? I know you served together..."

Henry just gave him a look. "If you can't answer that question on your own..."

"No one ever tells me the details. I always have to look things up."

"War changes people. It turns cowardly little spoiled rich brats into real bears."

"Oh. Maybe I should join the military... I mean, not that it matters, what with my ear and all, and besides... You already showed you were brave when you came to save my dumb ass in that fire because I got stuck..." He didn't say tied down because if he hadn't been stuck, he never would have been tied down to begin with.

Henry shook his head. "Believe me, the military was a terrible place to be. I wouldn't recommend it to anybody. Ray, on the other hand..." He shook his head. "I almost feel bad for Aiden when he's older."

"I doubt Ted would force him into the military, Papa."

"Ted might not, but Ray and Jesse both being military men? They will try."

"Jess seems more like a go-lucky sort of guy, though." He managed a small laugh.

Henry nodded. "He is the complete opposite of his father. Just like Jade's the opposite of her mother."

He did laugh this time. "Yup. Jade's not a hippie."

"Not in the least."

"But Jade's fun. Is that why she's my godmother, like Ted's my godfather?" He smirked. "Maybe that's what drew them together."

"Something like that." He shook his head. "So, anyways, back on topic..." He finally had to sit down on one of the benches.

"Oh. Right. Sorry. Um... Are you doing okay?"

"I'll be fine, but, Beary... I want to start training you to take over the recording business," he said at last.

The teen blinked. "I think you mentioned that before, but after that night, I didn't think you wanted anymore to do with me. You just kinda... left, and took Mama and Lyra with you."

"Some fights just aren't worth fighting when it potentially do some serious damage to your family. It's better to just get up and walk away."

"Yeah, but... I thought you just hated me. You never called me to see how I was doing after the accident."

"I know," he sighed. "I was being an asshole."

He flinched again. "I'm glad you took Lyra. She needs you, Papa. You have a chance with her. To do things right. To not lose her."

Henry nodded. "I'm aware of this, and we have bonded. However, there's still time for me and you, too."

"How can there be? I'm going to be a senior next year, Papa. Plus all the field trips, extracurricular, and all that stuff... And the internship? How am I supposed to even get there? I... I can't drive."

"You'll be riding with me if you take the internship at the business."

"But isn't it neopism or something?" He frowned, forgetting the word.

"Nepotism? No. It'll be your company when you're old enough. So, no, I think not. Family-run business."

"Why'd you pick me?"

"Because of your passion for the business and music in general. Your siblings are not like you."

"But if it's a family business, shouldn't you give it to someone who can actually have cubs?" he asked softly, unsure. He was proud that his father had picked him, but at the same time he was worried.

"No. You will eventually pass it on to whomever you deem fit for the job. And remember what the doctor said -"

"-it may happen or it may not. I know, I know... What about you? Are... Are you going to pass on the managing stuff or something? I think Mama would like having you home a lot more." What he meant, though, was that HE wanted his father home more. He actually wanted a father, not someone he rarely saw.

Henry nodded. "It's already been discussed. I just haven't made an announcement about it yet."

"So you're going to be home more?! Really?!"

"Yes. That's the plan, anyways."

"But what about at the company?"

"How many times are you going to ask me the same question?"

"A lot! I want to make sure I'm not hearing things!"

"I'm still going to be running things there until you've reached the level to take over," he chuckled, shaking his head.

"Will I still be able to tour the country with Jewel and Fēnglì? Or is that not going to happen now?"

"That will still happen."

"But who will be our manager? We haven't even been signed onto a record yet." He frowned. Maybe this distracting his father from the true objective of their conversation. He was just happy to be able to talk to him for so long without interruptions. It wasn't going to last forever, he knew that.

"Not every band that tours has a record contract with a big company. Some do, most don't until they get very popular."

He blinked. "Really? But isn't that procedure or something? I mean... no... never mind. I don't know this stuff." He frowned. Would he, Jewel, and Fēnglì - and possibly the new girl, Rādhikā Miśrā, their drummer - be able to make it big? Or were they just being fools?

"Gotta start small before you grow big."

"And yet we did the benefit concert, in which the whole state and then some saw that I still pee my pants when I have a nightmare," he muttered unhappily.

Henry rolled his eyes. "And that was soon forgotten by a wonderful performance."

Beary blushed and scratched the back of his head. "That one for Jewel? I was... just trying to do something to prove myself."

"And? It worked, Beary. You really need to stop being so down on yourself, or I'll have to have Ted and Jade do something with you."

He looked away, walls building up again in his mind. "Pass me off like you always do," he mumbled. A bit louder, he spoke, "I have work to do."

"Beary, it was a joke. Calm down." Henry frowned. Had he made things worse? Why had the teen suddenly gone so... serious?

"Maybe to you, because you don't realize just how often you do that," he growled, ears flat against his head as he turned away and began sweeping again.

Had he really? Henry was surprised. Then he thought about it. Ever since Beary was born, he had always passed him off to Helen, and would only help when she was desperate. He hadn't wanted a third cub – let alone a fourth – and yet it had happened because he had been foolish enough to not use protection. Yet, at the same time, he was happy for the new cub in their lives. He just wished Beary had come at a more stable time, as he had arrived just shortly after the band called it quits.

However, a year after he was born, he had become very, very sick. So sick that they didn't think he'd make it. Henry had began pulling away from the cub, afraid of loving a dying child. Then he was well again, and they were going to start up a new life, albeit two years later...

And then he had lost him. He thought his world had come to an end that day when he found out what had happened. Yet, his little boy somehow survived on his own somehow, though Henry had no idea how it'd happened. Now here they were, so many years later, and while at first after their reunion things had been fine, now it looked like their relationship would never be healed.

No. He wasn't going to allow that to happen! He had to fix this and fast.

Standing up, Henry limped over to his son. "I've hurt you, I know. Please, let me try to fix this, Beary. I beg of you. Give me another chance to make things right between us. I love you, so much, and I want this to work. I've always had a hard time expressing my feelings about you. I don't know what it is, but perhaps I'm just scared. Scared of loving you..."

Beary paused and looked at him. "Why?"

"I... I think it all stems back to something that happened when you were a baby. When you were so sick. Your mother and I thought you were going to die. I saw how miserable loving you made her – I don't mean that in a bad way – and how it tormented her that you were so sick... So I subconsciously pushed you out of my mind, and I suppose I've been doing it ever since without realizing it."

He stared. "Just how sick was I to make you do that?!"

Henry's eyes closed, his mind drifting back in time a bit. Returning to reality, he looked right into his son's eyes. "Beary... you had cancer."

* * *

 **Please review, as I want to know what you all think! Thanks for reading! See ya next time!**


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